What Will the New Year Bring?

As we approach the end of 2018 and look forward to 2019, we have to wonder about what the future holds. Many of you will by excited about what is to come, while others - myself included - tend to worry about the unknown. In this devotional by David Powlison, he gives a perspective on the future based on a reading of Psalm 23:

Whatever your future, you are called to live by faith today. Jesus says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). Jesus wants you to depend on him one day at a time. Learn not to worry about tomorrow. To do this you must meditate on who Jesus is.

More than any other passage, Psalm 23 brought Jesus to life for me in my struggles with fatigue. The psalm is full of promises - he provides, he restores my soul, he is with me, his goodness and mercy pursue me all my days. Make this psalm your own. Jesus, your good Shepherd, will fill you with confidence. God doesn't meet us the way we want, but he does restore us. No matter what you are facing, you have a Shepherd who is with you, restoring you, and bringing good things - himself - into your life. Learn to trust him, and you truly have something worth living and dying for.

Sin in its Essence

This is a devotional from Heart of the Matter by Paul David Tripp.

Sin in its essence is self-focused. Sin causes my heart to be ruled by personal desire and felt need. Sin makes me want to set my own rules for me and others. Sin will even cause me to co-opt the grace of God for the purposes of my own agenda. Sin makes me want to write my own story and to have God endorse it. Sin makes me demanding and impatient. Sin causes me to wrap both of my hands around my life and do anything I can to preserve it for my own purpose.

Christ, on the other hand, not only calls us to be willing participants in our own death, but he also lays out the logic behind his call. It is found in this one profound big kingdom principle: Try to save you life and you will lose it, but lose your life for Christ's sake and you will find it. To jealously hold on to my dream of what I want to accomplish, experience, and enjoy is to guarantee that I will never ever experience true life. Instead, I will experience the slow and progressive shrinking of my soul until there is no life left. Our life cannot be found outside of our relationship to the Lord. If I am seeking life outside of the One who is life, I am effectively committing spiritual suicide.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! I'll be taking a break from the blog for about a week. Be back in a few days. Enjoy your holiday!

I'll leave you with this Christmas poem. The other night we went to see "The King's Singers," an accapella group from England. They sang a number of Christmas songs, including the modern one below. The text - written by one of the former King's Singers, Philip Lawson - is a beautiful tribute to our Lord and Savior.

You are the new day.
Meekness, love, humility
Come down to us this day:
Christ your birth has proved to me
You are the new day.

Quiet in a stall you lie,
Angels watching in the sky
Whisper to you from on high
'You are the new day':

When our life is darkest night
Hope has burned away;
Love, your ray of guiding light,
Show us the new day.

Love of all things great and small
Leaving none, embracing all,
Fold around me where I fall,
Bring in the new day.

This new day will be
A turning point for everyone.
If we let the Christ-child in, and
Reach for the new day.

Christ the Way, the Truth, the Life;
Healing sadness ending strife;
You are welcome, Lord of life,
Born on a new day.
You are the new day.

Christmas Story - VI

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. - Matthew 2:7-12

Christmas Story - V

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’” - Matthew 2:1-6

Christmas Story - IV

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. - Luke 2:15-20

Christmas Story - III

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” - Luke 2:8-14

The Christmas Story - II

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. - Luke 2:4-7

The Christmas Story - I

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. - Luke 2:1-3

The Inheritance of the Soul: Character

The purpose of John Watson's book, The Homely Virtues, is to help his readers understand the importance of character. In the future, I hope to write a few posts on his thoughts on this topic.

For now, we'll finish this series with some final thoughts from Watson:

When all has been said, it remains that the one thing we are called upon to do, the one thing for which we shall be judged, is our duty. There is some particular work which lies to every one's hand which he can do better than any other person. What we ought to be concerned about is not whether it be on a large scale or a small—about which we can never be quite certain—nor whether it is going to bring us fame or leave us in obscurity—an issue which is in the hands of God — but that we do it, and that we do it with all our might. Having done that, there is no cause to fret ourselves or ask questions which cannot be answered. We may rest with a quiet conscience and a contented heart, for we have filled our place and done what we could. The battle of life extends over a vast area, and it is vain for us to inquire about the other wings of the army; it is enough that we have received our orders, and that we have held the few feet of ground committed to our charge. There let us fight and there let us die, and so fighting and so dying in the place of duty we cannot be condemned, we must be justified. Brilliant qualities may never be ours, but the homely virtues are within our reach, and character is built up not out of great intellectual gifts and splendid public achievements, but out of honesty, industry, thrift, kindness, courtesy, and gratitude, resting upon faith in God and love towards man. And the inheritance of the soul which ranks highest and lasts for ever is character.

Fame May Not Always Mean Value

Towards the end of chapter 1 in The Homely Virtues, John Watson discusses the fleeting value of fame:

Can any one be sure who is doing the most valuable and lasting work, or how the accounts are to be struck at the close of the day? Does it follow of necessity that a woman who makes clever speeches on the platform is rendering greater service to her generation than the house mother, who has guided her household well, and secured the peace and comfort of home to her husband and children? Can the minister who preaches to thousands in the great city be certain that he deserves more of the Church than his country colleague who is quietly building up the character of young men who shall by-and-by make the strength of the city? Is a brilliant writer a greater gain to the commonwealth than a silent merchant who has extended its commerce to the ends of the earth and filled a thousand homes with plenty? It is impossible to say; it is not necessary to make comparison; it is sufficient to remember that fame may not always mean value, and that the soundest work in the world may be done by obscure people.

A Tale of Work Everyday

We continue with John Watson's words about the contributions of ordinary people:

The prosperity of a country depends on the millions of people who are doing their tale of work every day, bringing up their children in respectability and religion, and discharging humble household duties and resisting every-day temptations; the trend of national life depends upon what a multitude of people are thinking and feeling and wishing and striving; and the goodness of the commonwealth is made up of the character of an innumerable number of undistinguished folk. We may not be philosophers, nor travellers, nor statesmen, nor conquerors, yet we ordinaries have our own sphere. We are the soldiers in the army which won the battle; we are the multitude to whom the thinkers spoke; we are the voters by whom the statesmen legislate; we are the force of which historians write. There are thousands of volumes containing the record of births in the archives of the registrar-general, and the keeper is accustomed to show a celebrated entry here and there. But all the pages of all the volumes are filled with names, and each name represents a person who has been born into the world, and, in many a case, has lived to old age and has done his piece of work. Without this nameless and in numerable multitude there had been no work and no race.

Standing on the Shoulders of Ordinary Men

John Watson continues with his narrative on the ordinary man:

Bunyan gave us the Pilgrims Progress, but we do not know the names of the good old women whom he heard talking about religion as they sat in the sun, and whose words gave a new direction to his life. Lord Shaftesbury will long be held in honour in England for the social reformation that he wrought; but place, if you please, Lord Shaftesbury's nurse, who taught the lonely child the principles of godliness. The hall rings with applause when a distinguished scholar obtains his degree, but what of the country school master who first inspired him with the passion for learning? The multitude talk of a distinguished career; they do not think of the man's father, who toiled and saved and sacrificed himself that the lad might have his opportunity.

What of the great man's mother, whose name is not buzzed about in the market place? A very ordinary woman, yet she was the mother of this distinguished man. She nursed him, she trained him, she comforted him, she inspired him; it is possible that this ordinary woman, as you judge her, gave him his brains. He stands upon her shoulder, and is seen of all men, while she is unseen. Every famous life is raised upon the lives of others, as a Venetian palace rests upon the piles beneath the water. What, also, one may ask, could the extraordinary people do without the ordinary? It is the enthusiasm of a nation which places a statesman in power and enables him to carry out beneficent laws.

Fleeting Fame

Continuing with some words from John Watson, here he recounts how ordinary people do not experience fame, but so very few people do. Watson notes that fame very often does not last:

It is a consolation for an ordinary person to remember that he belongs to the vast majority of his race, and that if he be outdistanced in talk, he will succeed in the vote. Out of a hundred thousand inhabitants in a city only a handful would be recognized upon a public platform, and out of that handful some were not known yesterday, and will be forgotten to-morrow. The great man of one town may never have been heard of in the next town; his fame does not extend stations along the line. A few men have a national reputation, but it is always a question of argument whether this or that great name will survive its generation. A century in history only adds some score of names to the immortal roll of the ages. When the generations pass across the stage of time, we only identify a face here and there — a Moses, an Alexander, a Paul, a Luther, a Cromwell, a Napoleon, a Washington, a Newton, a Darwin, a Faraday — and the others, perhaps great in their day and doers of great marvels, are now reduced to shadows, to the level of the unknown.

Watson continues: "Perhaps an ordinary person may find comfort in the fact that, after all, nameless people have done some of the great works of human history."

We'll look at these people tomorrow.

Ordinary People

A few days ago, I provided a post based on the writings of John Watson, a 19th century Scottish pastor. I've done more reading on him since then. An interesting man and a heck of a good writer. He's not as orthodox as I would like: he seems to have been caught up in the higher criticism of the day, dissecting the scriptures for passages that may be truer than others. However, he seemed to be committed to Christ - his divinity and humanity - and seemed to genuine love him as Lord and savior of men.

In the first chapter of his book, The Homely Virtues, he writes an excellent chapter on the nobility of the ordinary. For many people - Christian and non-believers - nobility and greatness are achieved through public notoriety and extraordinary personal achievements. People become great when they do great things. The ordinary life is not something to be celebrated. I've never agreed with that position and I have tried to find a writer who could express that position's anti-thesis clearly and with compassion. I think John Watson is that person.

I'm going to take a few posts to share with you some of what he wrote in The Homely Virtues. At a later date, I will share the homely virtues with you along with Watson's descriptions of each. For now, I just want to focus on this aspect of his thought: the nobility of the ordinary.

Here's a brief introduction:

It sometimes occurs to one that as there are so many philanthropic societies in our day and another would make no great difference, it might be useful, as well as kindly, to establish a society for the protection of ordinary people. Its subjects would be all persons above the age of twenty-one who had never written a book, nor a magazine article, nor a pamphlet, nor a letter to The Times; who had never stood for Parliament, nor addressed a political meeting, nor taken the chair at a charitable gathering, nor moved a vote of thanks to a speaker; who do not hold any view entirely their own on the doctrine of the Christian Church, or the origin of the Bible, or the relation of the sexes, or the division of property; who are not distinguished players at anything, nor brilliant conversationalists, nor wickedly sarcastic, nor unprinted poets—persons, in fact, who do their daily duty, and pay their debts, and act a neighbour's part, and speak about the weather, and go to Church; persons who are not original nor brilliant nor erratic, who are neither inventors nor reformers nor cranks, nor anything else except law-abiding, tax-paying, housekeeping, kind-hearted citizens - commonplace people.

Sound like anybody you know?

Law and Gospel - Part 6

Previously, we discussed how during the sanctification process, God may discipline us to bring us closer to him. In these cases, the law is the standard for our behavior and the Lord works to make us become more righteous, to become more and more like Jesus in our lives. Jonty Rhodes writes:

If this [God's discipline] does happen, I'll need to remember I'm not back under the covenant of works again, and that Christ alone is my righteousness. I'll therefore respond first and foremost by repenting and believing the gospel promises again, rather than simply trying to sort myself out. Only after I've gone to God for forgiveness, can I, through his strength and encouraged by his love, begin to make progress in my holiness battles.

Being under the covenant of grace, not works, means that every single action God takes towards me, without exception, will ultimately be an act of love [Romans 8:28]. Yes, even discipline: God disciplines those whom he loves (Hebrews 12:6).

If I forget the legal, justification side of union with Christ, I'll find myself falling into a kind of sub-Christian karma - be good and God will bless you; be bad and he'll get you. If I forget the organic, sanctification side of union with Christ, I'll end up thinking how I live is completely irrelevant, and fail to listen to the many different passages in the Bible that tell me otherwise. Legal bond and organic bond, justification and sanctification: all inseparable fruits of union with Christ.

There is much more that could be discussed on this topic, but I hope these few posts were helpful to you in understanding how law and gospel interact with your life.

Law and Gospel - Part 5

Does God's opinion of us change as we live our lives? Does God only view us through the lens of our justification? How does sanctification fit into this discussion? Jonty Rhodes continues to offer his insights:

But when I remember that God also sees my sanctification, suddenly things make sense. God will assess how serious I have been about trying to be faithful to his covenant: repenting, believing, battling sin, walking in holiness. If I start to ignore him, then has every right to come and discipline. Equally, if I'm faithful, I can genuinely please him and he will reward me - most likely in eternity, but possibly in the short term as well. These rewards differ between believers, a sure sign that God will take account of how faithfully we have walked. Sure, every Christian ends up in heaven, but our experiences of heaven will differ. We'll all be happy and satisfied, yet some even more so than others. It's a bit like filling an eggcup, a wine glass, and a bucket with water. They're all full, but the bucket is also in a sense fuller than the others.

To put it another way, it is possible to be a covenant-keeper in the primary sense, a person of faith who it going to heaven, while at a secondary level be wandering off-course into paths of covenant disobedience. As we saw earlier with the Israelites and Solomon, God often intervenes in his people's lives to discipline them long before judgment day. If he sees us wandering from covenant faithfulness, he might give us a little taste of what complete disobedience would bring, in order to bring us back to our senses. Many of the seven churches in the book of Revelation experience just such warnings. If I or my church begin to suffer these kinds of warning signs, we need to wake up and return to God.

We'll conclude this series on law and gospel tomorrow.

Law and Gospel - Part 4

Continuing with Jonty Rhodes discussion of laws and gospel, he addresses how we should live in light of the doctrines of justification and sanctification:

So, does God care or not when I disobey the law? Have you ever heard the illustration where a preacher describes two days in the life of a typical Christian? On Monday, Jeff springs out of bed, brings his beautiful wife Caroline breakfast, has an hour of prayer, nips next door to feed Seamus the neighbor's cat, evangelizes his fellow passengers on the bus, works hard all day, gives some of his bonus earnings to a mission organization, and gets home just in time to lead an inspiring Bible study on Isaiah. The next day, he gets up late, ignores his Bible, swears at his neighbor, is rude to his boss, and skips the prayer meeting to stay in and watch a dodgy movie. "On which day is God more pleased with Jeff?" asks the preacher. "They're both the same!" he answers. "God's love is unconditional! He sees us in Christ! We are justified! Our works no longer matter!" Is he right?

Well, yes and no. This is where recovering a more covenantal way of thinking, with its emphasis on union with Christ, will help us stay balanced. On the one hand, when I remember that I now share Jesus' status, justified and fully pleasing in God's sight, I can rejoice that, no matter how bad I've been today, God still loves me as his child and will accept me into heaven. My justification is unchangeable, unspoilable - and, for that matter, unimprovable.

But if this is my only understanding of how God views me, then I'm likely to get in a muddle when I come across passages in the Bible that suggest God reacts to how I live. There are those passages that talk about God rewarding people who live holy lives, passages that speak of certain actions pleasing him. Conversely, who disobey, and even some where he causes believers to get ill and die because of their unholy lives (1 Cor. 11:17-34). None of these will make any sense if I only ever think of justification; after all, if God sees Jesus and not me, surely it's impossible for his opinion of me to change for better or for worse?

Is this true? We'll take a look at this in more depth in the next post.

Law and Gospel - Part 3

In this part of his thoughts on the law and gospel, Jonty Rhodes explores the relationship between obedience and salvation:

Equally, time after time, we are told to obey God and warned that, if we don't, we will not receive salvation. This is not because obeying the law is earning our salvation, but because it is the route those filled with the Spirit will walk on their way to heaven, just as Noah's route was to build an ark. Or, we might say that one of the signs of a true disciple is that they will love the law. David sang that the law was sweeter than honey, more precious than gold, and that keeping it would bring reward (Psalm 19). Jesus taught that "if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love" (John 15:10). Neither Jesus nor David are legalists; both know that obedience is the path to salvation. And this law is not a burden, but a gift. It's not so much that we have to obey, as that now, filled with the Spirit of Jesus, we get to obey. Holiness is not a curse, but a reward.

Holiness is not a curse, but a reward. And the law helps us realize that reward!

I was going to stop here on this topic, but I think I'm going to continue for a few more posts. The next section continues with a discussion of law and gospel, focusing on relating to God through covenant. I hope you find it worthwhile.

Law and Gospel - Part 2

Continuing our discussion on law and gospel from Jonty Rhodes, we'll see how this applies to sanctification and justification:

Now, grace and works are enemies. But sanctification and justification are not; both are blessings of union with Christ. Think back to Noah. What saved him? God's gracious "gospel," of course. But what path did that grace send Noah down in order to reach the end goal of salvation? He had to obey God's commands - very specifically, to build an ark. Would he have been saved if he had ignored the command and just sat back reveling in the fact that God loved him and had chosen him? No, he'd have drowned. In that sense, "law" and gospel worked together to save Noah - but as one who was in union with Christ, he was saved by grace alone, through faith alone. This grace moved Noah to believe, and then to obey.

Similarly, with us. We are commanded to repent and believe - itself a sort of "law," we might even say. Is that legalistic? No, it's no different from saying the covenant of grace (or the gospel) has conditions. The gospel contains "law" in this very narrow sense. And yet, it remains a gospel of salvation by grace alone. Why? Because, as we saw in the covenant of redemption, Christ alone supplies the power to repent and believe.

Even the "condition" of the gospel is met by Christ! Our capacity to repent and believe - conditions or rules of the covenant of grace - comes from Christ.

I hope this is helpful, so far. Tomorrow we'll wrap this up.

Law and Gospel - Part 1

I'm reading a book, Covenants Made Simple: Understanding God's Unfolding Promises to His People, by Jonty Rhodes. As a Reformed believer, I understand the importance of covenants, but some of nuances are still not clear to me. I bought this book to hopefully give me some more clarity. I've learned a lot about law and gospel over the years, but I like to return to it often to solidify my understanding. Rhodes provides a good summary, which I want to share with you. I'll chunk it into three or four posts.

Here is the first part; this comes from the last chapter of the book:

So, the law (as straight commands) cannot save us, but it does show us the kind of people God wants us to be. It convicts us of our own sin, and then, after we've applied the gospel, teaches us how to live. If you think about it, these two functions must go together. When I read: "Do not gossip" and am convicted, I should move to the gospel, repenting of my sin and rejoicing in God's forgiveness. But what to do when I get up from my knees to carry on with life? Well, God still doesn't want me to gossip, so I should take that command and obey it. Law and gospel are not enemies, but friends, when understood rightly. Law without gospel is powerless; gospel without law is pointless. Christ came to save us from sin, not for sin.

The bolded passage is key, I think. The law is our guidebook, our "user manual," for our lives. The law shows us what is right and wrong. As humans, we need that. It shows us what we need to do to lead lives that are pleasing to God. Without faith, we try to obey the law for our own benefit. Through faith, we obey out of gratitude and through the gospel we realize that our obedience comes only through Him who strengthens us. Why would we not want to please our God who gave us so much?

More tomorrow.

Watching Daredevil

I was watching season 3 of Daredevil the other night when I heard an interesting quote from the priest as he spoke to Karen. He noticed her sadness and she was surprised how transparent her feelings were. The priest said, to her,"Someone once said, 'Everyone is fighting a battle of their own, that you can't see, but sometimes you can see it.'" The quote caught my attention. I agree with that statement; we never know what other people are struggling with and if we find out, we should not minimize that struggle.

I was curious as to the source of that quote. A search on the web revealed that the source is somewhat disputed. Most quotation website attribute the quote to Plato, but that attribution doesn't seem right. After a little more digging, I found that the quote belongs to Ian MacLaren, the pen name for John Watson, a Scottish Presbyterian minister (1850-1907). A more accurate quote (but still somewhat disputed) is, "Be pitiful [compassionate], for everyone is fighting a hard battle."

The sentiment behind the quote comes from a book, The Homely Virtues, published by Watson in 1903. I found the book on Google Books. After reading a couple of chapters, I found it to be a great book. The book focuses on what it means to be a good man. In our culture, as in others in the past, we tend to focus on people who have achieved public notoriety as being great. Watson argues that we need to see greatness in the ordinary. I have believed this for years, but haven't found a writer who has expressed this as well as Watson. I plan to explore his writings in this blog.

To conclude this post, here is a quote from the book that expresses the sentiment from Daredevil:

The man beside us also has a hard fight with an unfavoring world, with strong temptations, with doubts and fears, with wounds of the past which have skinned over, but which smart when they are touched. It is a fact, however surprising. And when this occurs to us we are moved to deal kindly with him, to bid him be of good cheer, to let him understand that we are also fighting a battle; we are bound not to irritate him, nor press hardly upon him no help his lower self.

How Firm a Foundation - Part 3

This is the final section of David Powlison's look at the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation," found in his book, God's Grace in Your Suffering.

We have to consider if our disappointment with the Bible is because we are looking for the wrong answers from it. Powlison concludes this section of his study:

When you get to what most matters, to life-and-death issues, what more can he say than to you has said? To whom do you entrust your life? What will happen to you? Are you facing betrayal by someone you trusted? Aggressive, incurable cancer? A disfiguring disability? Your most persistent sin? These are what Scripture is about. And God's words address all the defining existential questions - questions about meaning or despair in the face of death, purpose or pointlessness, good or evil, love or hate, trust or fear, truth or lies. Can mercy untangle the knot of sin? Can justice undo oppression? What about the character of God? The dynamics of the human heart? The meaning of affliction? What more can the Lord say than to you he has said? Listen well. There is nothing more that he needs to say.

If you don't know the hymn, here is a link to the words. It's a wonderful hymn.

A Birthday Devotional

This is a special post from The Daily Bread for a special young man. Happy Birthday, Ryan!

I used to love birthdays. I can still remember standing excitedly on our front porch waiting for my friends to show up for my 5th birthday party. I wasn’t just excited about the balloons, the gifts, and the cake. I was happy that I was no longer only 4! I was growing up.

As I’ve gotten older, however, birthdays have sometimes been more discouraging than exciting. Last year when I celebrated a birthday that marked me by decades more than by years, my wife, Martie, cheered me up with the reminder that I should be grateful to be growing older. She pointed me to Psalm 71, where the psalmist talks about God’s presence throughout his life. He remembers that God “took me out of my mother’s womb” (71:6), and he proclaims with thankfulness, “O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works” (v.17). And now, when the psalmist is older, he has the honor to proclaim: “[God’s] strength to this generation, [His] power to everyone who is to come” (v.18). God had blessed the psalmist with His presence through every year of his life.

Birthdays now remind me of God’s faithfulness. And they bring me closer to being in the presence of the One who has been with me all these years!

Lord, remind me often that growing older means
I am growing nearer to You! Keep my heart
filled with gratitude for Your many blessings,
and keep my mind fixed on the joy of heaven.

How Firm a Foundation - Part 2

Continuing with David Powlison's study of the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation," we will discuss the lens through which we look at the Scriptures. Do we want more from the Bible than God wants to provide?

If we only had one more verse on each of the top ten questions we wrangle over! And think what he could have told us with an extra paragraph or chapter on a few of the tough topics! If only the Lord had shortened the genealogies, omitted a few villages in the land distribution, and condensed the spec sheet for the temple's dimensions, dishware, décor, and duties. Our Bible would be exactly the same length - even shorter - but the questions that rattle the church could have been anticipated and definitively answered. But somehow, God in his providence didn't choose to do that.

It comes down to what you are looking for as you read and listen.

What do you want from the Bible? What is most important to you? What is most important to God in providing wisdom to his people?

We'll conclude this series tomorrow.

How Firm a Foundation - Part 1

In the hymn, How Firm a Foundation, the anonymous writer includes this line: "What more can he say than to you he has said...." David Powlison in God's Grace in Your Suffering exegetes the hymn and finds deep meaning in its words. He addresses some of the questions that we all ask as believers. He notes that there is "a way to read Scriptures that leaves you wishing God had said a whole lot more":

How did Satan become evil? Why did Chronicles add zeros to the numbers in Samuel and Kings? How did Jonah avoid asphyxiation? Who wrote the book of Hebrews? And those aren't even the questions that most often divide and perplex the church. Wouldn't it have been great if the Lord had slipped in one killer verse that pins down the timetable for the return of Christ? That resolves every question about the meaning and mode of baptism and the Lord's Supper? That specifically informs us how to organize church leadership and government? That tells us exactly what sort of music to use in worship? That explains how God's sovereign purposes dovetail with human responsibility? That describes just how the Holy Spirit intends and does not intend to express his dynamic power?

Have you ever asked these questions and wondered about the answers? We'll explore more of these insights over the next couple of posts.

Enemies of Truth - Part 3

This is the last part of a devotional on enemies of truth written by Rebecca Vandoodewaard.

3. We are enemies of truth when we misrepresent the gospel. This could be to our family, our church, or those outside of it. This sort of skewed picture could come from apathy, fear of conflict, or abuse of authority. Of course, we will always represent the gospel imperfectly, often unknowingly. But a conscious decision to do and say things - or a conscious failure to do and say things - in a way that facilitates a misunderstanding of Christ's person and work places us in opposition to the truth. That is sobering indeed.

The fact that we will always sin while in the body does not diminish the seriousness of these dangers. Our mortality, our struggle with our sinful nature, does not absolve us from the responsibility to obey or from consequences when we fail. In fact, since we have the strength of the Spirit and the mind of Christ, we are able to be allies of the truth as it renews our hearts and minds.

This devotional appeared in the November edition of TableTalk.

Enemies of Truth - Part 2

Continuing with the devotional from Rebecca Vandoodewaard, we look at a second way in which believers can oppose the truth.

2. We are enemies of truth when we hide sin. Perhaps it's a besetting sin, such as anger, that we hide from people outside of our family. Perhaps we're covering up the serious sin of an older child, pastor, or friend: we're afraid of what would happen if we expose the sin, afraid that people will accuse us of not understanding grace if we do. Hiding sin could even extend to preventing biblical justice from taking its course, as in ecclesiastical or civil courts. Believers can do all of these things, and when they do, they facilitate a culture of lies.

Tomorrow, we'll conclude this devotional on enemies of truth.

Enemies of Truth - Part 1

The following is from a devotional published in TableTalk and written by Rebecca Vandoodewaard. When we look for our enemies, sometimes we don't have to look too far.

What comes to mind when you think of someone who is an enemy of the truth? Richard Dawkins? Joseph Smith? Hollywood celebrities? What about a woman at church? Your brother? You?

An older Christian once warned me, "Even Christians can be enemies of truth." We know that we battle the world, the flesh, and the devil - those are three categories that we can rattle off. But it's easy to think of ourselves in the right camp and others in the wrong one. We make reality black and white in ways that it is not. Thinking of a believer - of ourselves - as someone who can actually oppose truth is deeply sobering. Here are three ways that it can be true.

1. We are enemies of truth when we refuse to hear the truth. This tends to come in two forms: not listening to someone tell the truth or refusing to accept it. Maybe we're not will to take the time to actually hear; other priorities seem more urgent. Maybe we're afraid of what will happen if we do listen; understanding will require humility, repentance, and change. Maybe we do listen and understand, but we refuse to admit that it applies to us. Truth can be uncomfortable. It can mean that we've been wrong. Whether truth comes to us through Scripture reading, through preaching, or through the wounds of a friend, when we treat it like an enemy, we become the enemy.

We'll cove the other ways over the next two posts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! With that in mind, I found a prayer in the Presbyterian Common Book of Worship. I hope this inspires you to remember the Lord on this day of thanksgiving.

We thank you, O Lord, for all the mercies of every kind, and for your loving care over all your creatures. We bless you for the gift of life, for your protection, for your guiding hand upon us, and for the many tokens of your love within us; especially for the saving knowledge of your dear son, our redeemer; and for the living presence of your spirit, our comforter. We thank you for friendship and responsibility, for good hopes and precious memories, for the joys that cheer us and for the trials that teach us to trust in you. In all these things, make us wise in the right use of your gifts, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be taking a couple of days off from posting during the holiday, but I'll be back by the weekend.

Traveling Mercies

For all of those who are traveling for the Thanksgiving holidays, and especially for my son. This was adapted from the 1906 Presbyterian Common Book of Worship:

Lord God, who reigns in the heavens and on the earth; we ask for your guidance and protection for your servant now leaving on his journey. Against all dangers be his strong defense, and be his faithful friend; keep him in health and heart and prosper the ends of his journey. Guard him, we ask you, from all dangers, from sickness, from the violence of enemies, from every evil; and conduct him in safety to his destination with a grateful sense of your mercies, in the firm knowledge that he is yours, through Christ our Lord. Amen

Avoid Foolish Questions

Titus 3:9 - "But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless."

The following is from a devotional by Charles Spurgeon:

Our days are few, and are far better spent in doing good, than in disputing over matters which are, at best, of minor importance. The old schoolmen did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse [obscure] points and unimportant questions. After everything has been said that can be said, neither party is any the wiser, and therefore the discussion no more promotes knowledge than love, and it is foolish to sow in so barren a field. Questions upon points wherein Scripture is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere modes of observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. Our business is neither to ask nor answer foolish questions, but to avoid them altogether; and if we observe the apostle’s precept (Titus 3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with profitable business to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings.

There are, however, some questions which are the reverse of foolish, which we must not avoid, but fairly and honestly meet, such as these: Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit? Am I growing in grace? Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour? Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master? What more can I do for Jesus? Such enquiries as these urgently demand our attention; and if we have been at all given to caviling [complaining], let us now turn our critical abilities to a service so much more profitable. Let us be peace-makers, and endeavour to lead others both by our precept and example, to “avoid foolish questions.”

Living by Faith

This devotional comes from a book, Heart of the Matter, and is written by David Powlison. As a side note, several weeks ago David Powlision was diagnosed with 4th stage pancreatic cancer. Based on his more recent writings, he is still relying on the Lord, even with this dire diagnosis, trusting the Lord for comfort and strength. I took a course with Powlison 15 years ago. A three hour class went by in what seemed to be minutes. His wisdom about the human condition was mesmerizing. He's a wonderful, godly man.

This devotional is based on a reading of Psalm 23:

Whatever your future, you are called to live by faith today. Jesus says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). Jesus wants you to depend on him one day at a time. Learn not to worry about tomorrow. To do this you must meditate on who Jesus is.

More than any other passage, Psalm 23 brought Jesus to life for me in my struggles with fatigue. The psalm is full of promises - he provides, he restores my soul, he is with me, his goodness and mercy pursue me all of my days. Make this psalm your own. Jesus, your good Shepherd, will fill you with confidence. God doesn't meet us the way we want, but he does restore us. No matter what you are facing, you have a Shepherd who is with you, restoring you, and bringing good things - himself - into your life. Learn to trust him, and you truly have something worth living and dying for.

1 John 4:9-11

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Hazards to Spiritual Growth - Part 4

Michael Emlet ends this chapter returning to the subject of the book: psychiatric medications and diagnoses.

What does this mean with regard to the use or non-use of medications? Don't be too quick to cast off suffering as though immediate relief from trials is the only good God is up to. And don't think it's more "spiritual" to refrain from taking medications, as though character refinement through suffering is the only good God is up to. We don't choose our suffering in some masochistic way. Yet we are called to a life of walking in the footsteps of our suffering Savior. Christ teaches us a cross-centered and dependent lifestyle (Luke 9:23). And this is true in all situations of life.

Wise counsel for those who counsel others in everyday life.

Hazards to Spiritual Growth - Part 3

We left off yesterday noting that humans are prone to wander from God when life is hard and when life is easy. Michael Emlet continues this discussion with some thoughts on contentment:

Perhaps this is why the writer of Proverbs prays, "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8-9).

Here's another way of saying this: God-centered contentment is elusive in want or in plenty. Neither situation is the "ideal" for spiritual growth in a fallen world. Paul highlights this in Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV). He learned "the secret of being content in any in plenty or in want." He looked to the strength of Christ in all situations.

Tomorrow we'll finish this series on spiritual growth.

Hazards to Spiritual Growth - Part 2

Continuing with the chapter from Michael Emlet in Descriptions and Prescriptions, this section begins after the previous reference to Job and his suffering:

As we've seen, it's not a bad thing to seek deliverance from intense suffering and this can be done in a godly way, unlike the Israelites and Job's wife. For example, many psalms provide a model of crying out to God with integrity and humility in the midst of troubles and grief (Psalms 10, 22, 44, 73, 77, and 88, to name a few).

At the same time, a lack of suffering may bring the temptation to simply forget that "'in him we live and move and have our being'"(Acts 17:28). Temptation toward complacency and self-reliance can certainly happen when life is relatively easy. This was part of the problem God's people experienced once they left the wilderness and entered the Promised Land. Their dependence on him waned in the midst of material blessing (Deuteronomy 8:10014; Judges 2:10-12). You see that same pattern in David (2 Samuel 12:7-9) and Solomon (1 Kings 10-11).

We are prone to wander from God when life is hard and when life is easy.

More tomorrow.

Hazards to Spiritual Growth - Part 1

I'm reading a book by Michael Emlet, Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses & Medications. It is an excellent review of how Christians should think about psychiatric categories. He opens the book with the "Goldilocks Principle," which outlines the two ditches that Christians can fall into as they consider these categories: (1) Some Christians are "too cold" toward psychiatric diagnoses and are highly suspicious of using these labels, or (2) other Christians are "too warm" toward these diagnoses, embracing them as nearly all-encompassing explanations of a person's struggle. His book is about helping Christians through biblical wisdom find the path that is "just right." It's a short book - only 100 pages - and I think it's around $10. It's well worth the money.

There is much in the book that deserves comment, but one short chapter in particular caught my attention today. It is called "Hazards to Spiritual Growth." I would like to take the next couple of posts to share this chapter with you. It is not particularly focused on psychiatric diagnoses or medications (although it surely relates to them), but instead it focuses on the role of suffering in the spiritual growth of a person. I found it to be a profound read. Here is the first section:

Section 1
Main idea: Too much suffering can be "hazardous" to spiritual growth and too little suffering may be "hazardous" to spiritual growth.

What do I mean here? Simply this: It is hard to find the "sweet spot" for spiritual growth. In the midst of intense suffering, whether it stems from the body or from other sources (relational strife, difficult life circumstances), there often is a greater temptation to become fearful, angry, and embittered. This was true of the Israelites in the wilderness. They had experienced the redeeming power of God in bringing them out of captivity. But despite God's provision they succumbed to the temptation to doubt his goodness in the midst of wilderness hardships. Or consider the response of Job's wife to Job in the midst of their suffering, "Curse God and die" (Job 2:9). Extreme suffering provokes our hearts to fear and anger.

We'll continue with Emlet's analysis in the next post.

John 13:34

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

We are reminded by Jesus that we are to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to share in each others' joys and sufferings in life. If your brother is suffering, so ought you. Step into his life and share that burden. This is how the world will know that you are believers.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Spiritual Warfare

Edward Welch shares the following devotional in the book, Heart of the Matter. He addresses spiritual warfare. This is an important lessen as we often forget that Satan is always ready to attack. Satan, along with the flesh and the world, is a source of temptation who we should never take lightly.

The details of how faith works in spiritual warfare are well known but easily forgotten. First, remember that you have an enemy. Follow the lead of wise people who begin each day by actually saying, "Today, I must be alert that I have an enemy." Ask others to remind you, and be quick to remind others. Realize that you are walking where rebels are known to be in the area. Their lives are devoted to your destruction.

Second, assume that warfare rages. Don't even bother looking for sigs of warfare. Just assume that you are in the thick of it. If you want evidence, don't look for it in the intensity of your depression. Satan will use your pain as a venue to employ well-worn strategies like these: Are you hopeless? Do you believe God is aloof and distant? Do you question God's love? Do you question God's forgiveness? Remember that Satan will always attack the character of God.

Are you listening to wise counsel and Scripture? If not, it is a sure sign that you are losing some spiritual skirmishes. Listening is a mark of humility, and Satan can't successfully fight against it.

A One Time Sacrifice

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Christ Wants All of Us

The following is a devotional based on Luke 14:25-35 written by Paul David Tripp. The devotional appears in the book, Heart of the Matter.

Christ doesn't just ask for some of our things. He doesn't ask for the majority of our things. He doesn't say, "I want the best of your things." He doesn't warn us that there are going to be times when he will take precious things from us. No, his call from the outset is this: "Any of you who does not give up everything the he has cannot be my disciple." Why is his call so all-inclusive?

Jesus looks at the large crowd and sees people in the midst of a raging personal war. He understands that each one is a worshipper - each of their lives is always shaped by the pursuit of the treasure that has come to rule their hearts. He knows that what they treasure will shape their decisions, actions, and words. And he knows that they will make incredible personal sacrifices to get, keep, and enjoy whatever it is that they treasure. So, in asking his followers to sacrifice everything, he is not calling them to live without anything. No, he is calling them to empty themselves of every other treasure but him. He is saying, "If you are going to be my disciple, I must be the treasure that gives shape and directions to everything you decide, say, and do."

To end this series on Augustine, the authors wrote a prayer for students. I hope you enjoyed this series.

An Augustinian Prayer for a Student

God of Truth and Beauty,
You give each one of us the desire to seek the Truth.
Fire me with a thirst for knowledge and Truth.
Let me use that knowledge to build a community of justice and love.

God of Splendour and Glory,
You show us your splendour in the heavens, the earth and the mystery of each person.
May I see your presence and warming love in the gifts of this earth.
May I reverence this presence.

God, companion on the journey,
You touched the restless heart of Augustine as he searched for you.
Help me to support my friends and students in their quests
and seek their help in mine.
Remind me that you are within me and them as teacher and friend.
Be present to us in the struggles of life as we journey together.

God of Unity, God of Peace,
You inspired Augustine to gather friends around him in community.
May we always live together in harmony and be of one mind and one heart.

Amen.

Part XII - Being a Student: Open to the Transcendent

Lord, that I may know myself as you know me. (Confessions, 10, 1, 1).

The search for God is the search for happiness. The encounter with God is happiness itself. (The Customs of the Catholic Church, 11, 18).

We search God out by loving Him; we reach Him, not by becoming entirely what He is, but in nearness to Him, and in wonderful and immaterial contact with Him, and in being inwardly illuminated and occupied by His truth and holiness. He is light itself; we get enlightenment from Him. The greatest commandment, therefore, which leads to happy life, and the first, is this: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and soul, and mind.” For to those who love the Lord all things work unto good. Hence Paul adds shortly after, “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor virtue, nor things present, nor things future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (The Customs of the Catholic Church, 11, 18).

God who made you, doesn’t want anything of you but yourself. (Sermon 34, 7).

Part XI - Being a Student: Friendly and Community Oriented

We need the gifts of others to make up for what is lacking in ourselves. (Commentary on the Psalms, 125, 13).

There were other joys to be found in my friends’ company which still more powerfully captivated my mind - the charms of talking and laughing together and kindly giving way to each other’s wishes, reading well written books together, sharing jokes and delighting to honour one another, disagreeing occasionally but without rancour, as a person might disagree with himself, and lending piquancy by that rare disagreement to our much more frequent accord. We would teach and learn from each other, sadly missing any who were absent and blithely welcoming them when they returned. Such signs of friendship sprang from the hearts of friends who loved and knew their love returned, signs to be read in smiles, words, glances and a thousand gracious gestures. So were sparks kindled and our minds were fused inseparably, out of many becoming one. (Confessions, 4, 8, 13).

You are all to live together, therefore, one in mind and one in heart and honour God in each other because each of you has become His temple. (Rule, 1, 8).

Where there is no envy or fear, differences, far from creating divisions, foster harmony. (Holy Virginity, 29).

A community is a group of individuals bound together by the harmony and communion as to the things they look for and they love. In order to discover the character of a community we have only to observe what they love. (The City of God, 19, 24).

In an orchestra there are many different instruments. But all are tuned so carefully and played in harmony that the audience only hears one melody. This must be our ideal: to be an orchestra for the Lord (Commentary on the Psalms, 150, 8).

Being a Student - Part X: Committed and Studious

Our life is a pilgrimage and as such, it is full of difficulties. But our maturity is forged by these difficulties. We are not known to ourselves, unless we are tested; neither can we be crowned, if we don’t conquer; nor conquer, if we don’t fight; nor fight, if we lack enemies. (Commentary on the Psalms, 61, 2).

Don’t be sleepy when listening to the truth so as not to be woken up with a start when it comes to settling the bill. (Commentary on the Psalms, 32, 2, 2).

It is of no use “to know” the truth, if, at the same time, you do not embrace it with your life. It is necessary to build on a sure foundation, that is “to hear” and “to do”. The one that hears, and does not do it, builds on sand. The one that neither hears nor does it, builds nothing. The one that hears and does, builds on stone. (Commentary on the Psalms, 58, 17).

Being a Student - Part IX: Attentive and Willing

As well as a human being doesn’t eat wheat without first grinding it in order to make bread, the devil doesn’t eat anybody without first grinding him down with tribulation. In order to eat you he first needs to grind you up. Therefore, even if you are amidst affliction but remain whole, don’t worry. No harm will come to you. Does the wheat grain fear the threshing that separates it from the straw? No, as the straw is blown away, the grain is set free of all it does not need. (Commentary on the Psalms, 100, 12).

Usually human beings do not truly know themselves. They do not know of what they are able and what not. Often they presume that they can do certain things when they cannot while at the same time presume they cannot do others of which they are perfectly capable. Only when trials come to test them do they discover their own possibilities, possibilities hidden from them but known to their Creator. (Commentary on the Psalms, 55, 2).

A curious lot people are, curious to pry into the lives of others, but slow when it comes to correcting their own. (Confessions 10, 3, 3).

Being a Student - Part VIII: Sincere and Open About One's Self

There are some of you for whom the desire for human respect keeps you apart from your own conscience. If you are amongst these, take note that God sees within and that it is not possible to deceive God as witness, nor to escape from God as judge. (Letter 144, 3).

Look to that which is merely human and deprived in the man, and you will find lies and confusion. Don’t depend on yourself alone. Expose yourself to the light that comes from on high. If you stay closed in on yourself, you are seeking falsehood. The brow that bears the mark of insolent pride is undone and the brow marked with humility, like the cross of Christ, is victorious. (Sermon 32, 10).

Being a Student - Part VII: A Seeker of Harmony and Balance

Don’t be ambitious for more than is needed. Be satisfied with that. Wanting what is superfluous is a disguised form of greed. Being satisfied with what we truly need is the only true form of wealth. (Sermon 177, 10).

Being a Student - Part VI: Human and Understanding

For the more you are an enemy to your friend’s crimes, the more truly you are a friend to that person. (Letter 151, 12).

Let us love human beings, but not in the way a glutton says, “I love thrushes [birds].” Do you know why he loves them? To kill them and to eat them. He doesn’t love the thrushes, but rather he loves them for his own gain and their loss. (Treatise on the First Letter of St John, 8).

Love your fellow human beings, but fight their errors. Teach them the truth, but without pride. Love fights with them for the truth, but without resentments. (Reply to the Letters of Petilian, 1, 29, 31).

Being a Student - Part V: Able to Put Things in the Right Perspective

The human soul is like a dove. When it is enslaved by earthly loves, its plumage becomes heavy because of the mud and it cannot fly. But when the mud of earthly affections is removed from its feathers, it recovers its freedom. Using the love of God as one wing and the love of neighbour at the other it begins to fly. It ascends because it loves. (Commentary on the Psalms, 121, 1).

Not everybody who is indulgent with us is our friend, nor is everybody who punishes us our enemy. It is better to love with severity that to deceive gently. (Letter 93, 2, 4).

Do you want to know what class of person you are? Take the test of love. Do you love the things of the earth? You are earth. Do you owe your love to God? Be not afraid in saying it: you are God. (Treatise on the First Letter of John, 2, 2, 14).

Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are. Like sticks to like, unlike shuns unlike. (Sermon 15, 2, 2)

Moral failure is not the possession of evil things, but rather an act of the will that is evil; that is to say an action is evil not because the things sought are themselves evil, but rather the act itself is evil if it is contrary to the right order of things, or an abandonment of that which is good for something which is less good. For example, avarice is not a fault inherent in gold, but in the one who inordinately loves gold to the detriment of justice, which ought to be held in incomparably higher regard than gold. Neither is luxury the fault of lovely and charming objects, but of the heart that inordinately loves sensual pleasures, to the neglect of temperance . . . Nor yet is boasting the fault of human praise, but of the one who is inordinately fond of the applause of others, and that makes light of the voice of conscience. Pride, too, is not the fault of the one who delegates power, nor of power itself, but of the soul that is inordinately enamoured of its own power, and despises the more just dominion of a higher authority. Consequently he who inordinately loves the good which everything possesses, even though he obtain it, himself becomes evil in the good, and wretched and unhappy because he is deprived of a greater good. (The City of God, 12, 8).

Being a Student - Part IV: Seeks to Act Freely and Responsibly

While we are on this earth, we cannot avoid falling. But what is important, anyway, is not to ignore these falls or to minimize them as being so small they are not worthy of our notice. Of what are made the rivers that overflow to flood the fields, but small drops of water? A small leak, not repaired in time, in the long run causes the ship to sink. (Sermon 58, 9, 10).

Being faithful in minor things is a major undertaking. (Christian Teaching, 4, 18).

God Speaks

I'm taking a brief pause on our Augustine journey to share a passage from Hebrews 1:1-2. As I read this passage this morning and meditated on it, I was struck with the realization (as obvious as it should have been to me all along) that God speaks to us. He actually personally directs his communication towards his people. He does not use some kind of Spockian mind-meld or impersonal force to give us vague impressions: he speaks to us as a friend speaks to a friend, a father speaks to a son, a mom to a daughter. Intellectually, I've known this, but this morning I started to actually believe it(!) as I read and meditated on these words:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

My prayer this morning is that you will believe this amazing fact: that the God of the universe is speaking to you through his Word. I pray that you will hear his Word and that you will be drawn closer and closer to the Lord.

Being a Student - Part III: Open to Others, Rejecting Arrogance

The first step in the search for truth is humility. The second, humility. The third, humility. And the last one, humility. Naturally, that doesn’t mean that humility is the only virtue necessary for the discovery and enjoyment of truth. But if the other virtues aren’t preceded, accompanied and followed by humility, pride will find an opening and infiltrate them and, sooner or later, finish up destroying good intentions. All other vices are recognised when we are doing wrong; but pride is to be feared even when we do right. Test those things which are done in a praiseworthy manner lest they be spoiled by the desire for praise itself. (Letter 118, 3, 22).

“Learn from me, I am gentle and humble of heart”: what then does it do us good to learn? He is suggesting we have the most genuine sort of love for one’s fellows, love without mixed motives, without conceit, without arrogance, without deceit. That’s what is being suggested, by the one who says, “Learn from me, because I am gentle and humble of heart.” (Sermon 142, 12)

No one says to you, “Be less than you are,” but rather, “Recognise what you are.” Recognise yourself as weak, as a human being, as a sinner. When you accept and admit your shortcomings, you are on the way to healing. (Sermon 137, 4, 4).

Walk the path of humility, if you want to arrive at eternity. Christ, as human, is the path we are following. Christ, as God, is the destination towards which we are travelling. It’s to him we are going. It’s by him we are going. (Sermon 123, 3, 3).

Being a Student - Part II: Reflective, Able to Look Within

Curiously, the less human beings pay attention to their own shortcomings, the more they seem concerned with the shortcomings of others. They are looking to tear the other person to bits, not to put that person to rights. Unable to excuse themselves, they are only ready to accuse others. (Sermon 19, 2).

In fact anyone who in the depths of his heart is tormented by a bad conscience is like a person who has to flee his house because it is leaking or filled with smoke and thus not able to be lived in. This is why such people want to live outside themselves seeking happiness in external things that distract. They seek peace in frivolities and distractions such as shows and other amusements and by following every whim. Why do they seek happiness in this way? Because they cannot find all well within; they are not at peace with their conscience. (Commentary on the Psalms, 100, 4).

A disoriented heart is a place where false gods are manufactured. (Commentary on the Psalms, 80, 14).

Being a Student - Part I: Restless, Striving, Searching

"You have made us, Lord, for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." (Confessions, 1, 1, 1).

"We are pilgrims, people on the road, not residents. We should therefore feel unsatisfied with what we are, if we want to arrive at that to which we aspire. If we are totally happy with what we are, we will stop going forward. If we think we have gone far enough we will not take another step. Let us continue, therefore, going forward, walking towards the goal. Let us not stop half way along the route, or look backwards or stray from the path. Someone who stops, does not make progress. Someone who strays, loses hope of arriving." (Sermon 169, 18).

Augustine's Reflections on Being a Student

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I want to use the next few entries to share with you St. Augustine's thoughts on education, and more specifically, on being a student. Pedro Bardon and Michael Morahan collaborated to bring these quotes to light in their paper, Education: An Augustinian Approach.

The Being a Student section of the paper is divided into 12 parts with each offering a number of quotations reflecting Augustine's thought. My plan is to provide one post for every part, choosing one or more quotations that I would like to share with you.

To start, the authors offer an excellent overview of Augustine's perspective on "being a student":

For Augustine, being a student is a lifelong task for all, not a role restricted to those who attend classes or are enrolled in courses. The fundamental task of the student is to learn about themselves and what they are intended to become. Ultimately, being a student is about discovering those things about oneself, one’s world and the transcendent that are necessary for happiness in both this world and the next. Consequently, if we are looking for what Augustine thinks about being a student, we are also asking what Augustine thinks about being a human person. For him the two are closely allied. He sees the whole world and its peoples as a kind of classroom where we are all fellow students. God, the Truth present within each of us, is the Teacher. What follows are but some of Augustine’s reflections about being a student and thus really about being human.

Tomorrow, we'll begin with Augustine's thoughts on "Restless, Striving, Searching."

Augustine's Reflections on Education

I have been doing some research on St. Augustine and came upon this paper that offers insights into his views on education. For those who are not familiar with Augustine, also called Saint Augustine of Hippo (born November 13, 354—died August 28, 430), he served as bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430, was one of the Latin Fathers of the Church and perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul. Augustine’s adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions (c. 400) and The City of God (c. 413–426), shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. In Roman Catholicism he is formally recognized as a doctor of the church. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

The paper offers general insights into Augustine's thoughts on education, but I would like to focus on what he thought of being a student. The authors of the paper offer an excellent introduction. I'll start with that in the next post.

I thought I would take the next several posts to share with you the thoughts of this great man of faith, especially for those who are students and could use the encouragement and inspiration.

Applying Psalm 10: The Lord Will Right Wrongs

In this final "homework" - and post - for Psalm 10, David Powlision has us remember that the Lord will right all wrongs. In the end, Psalm 10 is about hope and comfort in the power, love, and care of our God. As we bathe in the light of God, we should pass that light onto others:

David turned his suffering into words that have brought hope and guidance to countless people for three thousands years. Can you turn your experience into a ministry to others who suffer? God "comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction" (2 Cor. 1:4).

Applying Psalm 10: Cry to God

For the third section of Psalm 10, the "homework" focuses on petitioning the Lord:

Talk to God. But don't babble. Talk intelligently, based on an understanding of God's reign of power and grace that deals with evil and suffering. Many sufferers simply writhe in pain and confusion. Jesus prayed knowing exactly what he was saying, focused on obeying the will of the Father: "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will but as You will" (Matt. 26:39). He modeled the things he had taught his disciples to pray (Matt: 6:9-13). Don't grumble. Don't fall into the superstition of using fine-sounding religious phrases. Don't name and claim, thinking that your words pry goodies out of heaven. Don't think that piety can't ask for anything specific. Pray direct prayers pursuing God's will and glory.

Applying Psalm 10: Analyze Harmful People

Continuing with some "homework" on Psalm 10, David Powlison asks the reader to temporarily take their eyes off of the oppressor or problem and instead look inward. When we are sinned against, it is common to react with pride, vengeance, and other fleshly responses. Being sinned against does not give us the permission to sin. We have to be careful to guard our hearts:

How have you sinned? Have you criticized, lusted, stolen, threatened, or been prejudiced? Do you lose sight of God and sink into unbelief? How do your sins come out in reaction to being sinned against? Remember, God has transformative purposes in the sufferings of those who love him.

Applying Psalm 10: Opening Cry

David Powlison suggests a little "homework" after providing his interpretation of Psalm 10. He offers a series of questions to help sufferers think through various aspects of the psalm. I won't include all of the questions here, but will give you one from each of the four sections.

In regards to verse 1 - "Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?" - consider the following:

The psalms are intended for use by groups of people, as well as by individuals. Who can pray with you? God does not intend you to fully resolve your struggles even in private with him. Join the people of God in a setting where your needs can be presented to God by others.

The Lord Will Right Wrongs

For this final section of Psalm 10, David Powlison shows how the psalm ends with quiet confidence. There is a sense from the psalm writer that God has everything under control and is looking out for him:

God is a person with a name - Yahweh, I AM THAT I AM - who rules forever. He has proved it in history. Sufferers call on a God who has annihilated evildoers and idolaters. This King is now known as Jesus. He has redeemed the nations - and [you] - by perishing in the place of his elect. But those who reject him will cry, "Mountains, fall on us!" at their impending destruction.

Where do sufferers place their hopes? The first half of verse 16 is quoted in the New Testament: "[The Lord] will reign forever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). Christ wins; evil loses. This is the indestructible foundation for human hopes, even when our schemes for earthly joy are shattered by sufferings.

These inward trials I design,
From sin and self to set thee free,
To break thy schemes for earthly joy,
That thou may'st find thy all in Me. - John Newton

God not only gives us hope, but he gives us strength (v. 17). It is in the context of suffering that God strengthens hearts in many ways. The love of God pours out directly into the hearts of afflicted persons. We access this strength through faith. "Faith finds God in suffering, producing endurance, love, and hope. Psalm 10 is one part in the larger gospel whole, one piece of the experience of each God-centered sufferer." Remember, as God's people, we will be delivered from all sin and misery and "every tear will be wiped away when evil is no more" (Rev. 20-21).

Psalm 10:16-18

The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Cry to God: Act to Aid the Hurting

In verses 12-15, the afflicted person reaches out to God for help. The voice that said, "God, you seem distant," now cries, "God, be near." As David Powlison notes, "This God can "rise" and "lift His hand": he can remember - and do something....Believing sufferers may wonder (v.1), but they call on him to do something...The Lord misses nothing. He does not forget."

While there are many human activities that can help sufferers (e.g., mercy ministries), any person suffering ultimately needs God. Powlison writes:

God runs his universe to ensure that in an evil world, no mere human advocacy can redress the full need. Consider Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the life of faith: "into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46) and "for the joy set before Him [He]endured the cross, despising [thinking little of] the shame" (Hebrews 12:2). Profound suffering needs one who will "wipe away every tear from their eyes; and their will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain" (Rev. 21:3).

In these situations, when we cry out to God for relief and comfort, sometimes we demand those things to be done in our way an in our time. But God works in his own ways and his own time. What we can do is trust that he is sovereign and have faith that he will make things right. We can get on with our lives knowing that he loves us. In that, we can take great comfort.

Psalm 10:12-15

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

Psalm 10:7

For this post, I want to focus on Psalm 10:7: "His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and wickedness." As David Powlison notes, "this sentence catalogues the ways people intimidate, mislead, and overwhelm others." This section of the psalm makes it clear that the writer is oppressed by another person. However, not only can we be oppressed by other people, but we can also feel oppressed by life's circumstances. Do you ever feel the weight of life on you? Perhaps you have money problems or relationship issues or career challenges. Sometimes the weight of life can feel oppressive, too. In these circumstances, Psalm 10 will speak to you, too. In the next section (vv. 12-15), we'll see how God comforts all of the afflicted.

Before we leave this section, I would like to note one other thing: In Psalm 10 the oppressor is a horrible person, but we always have to make sure that we don't think that the oppressed - especially when we are feeling struck down - are above sin. Powlison writes:

Psalm 10 speaks from the standpoint of the innocent victim who relies on God. But sufferers must honestly ask themselves, "Am I more like my oppressor than I want to admit? Does God find bitterness and falsehood in me? Are there ways I act as if there is no God? Does my reaction to evil reveal my own evil, or a living faith?"

We always have to keep in mind that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. It is only by God's grace that we can act good at all. When pride, resentment, and vengeance rule our hearts, then we act as the oppressor - living as if God does not exist.

To realize the full blessings of God we must recall James' admonition:

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:6-8

Psalm 10:2-11

In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Opening Cry: Where Are You?

Why, O Lord, do you stand for away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? - Psalm 10:1

David Powlison continues his discussion of Psalm 10:1. Is the section of the psalm, the writer is searching for God in his time of trouble. How often have we've been in this situation in our lives:

Where are you? Where were you? Often this is the heart's first cry: "You have said that you love me, so why do you seem absent just when I am violated? Why don't I know your protection?"

This is a cry of faith. Jesus said almost identical words as his faith expressed its anguish: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" You are in the company of one who knows God yet has felt abandoned.

People can ask questions like these from two fundamentally different stances. For those who walk in the footsteps of this psalm, the questions express a cry of faith that looks to God. In trouble, they want God but feel overwhelmed and isolated. Other people express a cry of unbelief, hatred, and accusation. In trouble, they blame God. At first, it may not be clear which stance predominates. There may be mixed motives...."I believe, help my unbelief." But over time it always becomes clear whether we are processing our anguish through faith or through pride and unbelief. Psalm 10:1 speaks intimately and directly with trust in the Lord who is great, not with contempt for a god who seems impotent and uncaring.

Psalm 10 can be seen as reflecting a crisis of faith. Have you ever wondered where God is?

Psalm 10

The next few posts will be a series on Psalm 10. The commentary comes mostly from David Powlison in his book, Seeing with New Eyes.

Psalm 10 contains two things: honest requests and thoughtful analysis. At the beginning and end, the injured person bluntly talks to God, saying in effect, "Why are you far away? Get up and do something. You see what's going on. Sufferers trust you because you've helped the helpless in the past. Strip the power away from the hurtful now. I know you hear what I want. I know you will listen and make things right." In the middle, the sufferer vividly describes people who harm others - how they think and act and affect innocent victims. People who harm people are also rebelling against God. They will be destroyed.

Psalm 10 unfolds in four movements: a cry of desolation, a blunt assessment of predatory people, a cry of reliance on God, and a confident affirmation.

Psalm 10 is for those of us who have moments or longer periods in life of loneliness and hopelessness, and, consequently, are in need of comfort. We'll see how God will use this series to comfort you.

Thy Mercy My God

John Stocker was an 18th century hymn writer. He was born at Honiton, Devonshire, England. He is considered a friend of A. M. Toplady (who wrote “Rock of Ages”) and Stocker contributed nine hymns to “The Gospel Magazine” in 1776-1777.

The following song was covered by Indelible Grace in 2005. It is a song about God's mercy, grace, and love.

Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’'ve found.

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.

Carry the Honor

Arterburn and Stoeker complete their book, Everyman's Battle, with an appeal to husbands to continue to cherish their wives. To be able to cherish your wife under all circumstances is a strong indication of maturity and victory over sexual sin. The authors remind us what a wife has given up for marriage:

Your wife gave up her freedom for you. She relinquished her rights to seek happiness elsewhere. She exchanged this freedom for something she considered more valuable: your love and your word. Her dreams are tied up in you, dreams of sharing and communication and oneness.

She's pledged to be yours sexually. Her sexuality is her most guarded possession....She trusted you would be worthy of this gift, but you have cavalierly viewed sensual garbage, polluting and littering [her marriage to you]. She deserves more, and you must honor that.

Later, they offer a final word:

If cherishing is anything, it's loving your wife for who she is this day, not some other day down the line. It's making allowances for all the surprises and inconsistencies that were hidden until life spun her in its new direction....Be content with the wife of your youth. If she isn't all you'd hoped for, remember that God graced you with [her]. Can you make a commitment to cherish her today?

I can't add much more to this. Sexual integrity matters to God and, therefore, it should matter to you. While this book focused a lot on married life, the principles hold true for single guys, too. Even the last chapter, which is about cherishing the wife you have, applies to single men. The things you do today - especially regarding sexual sin - will be brought into your future marriage if you don't address them now. Don't think that marriage will fix you. Fix your problems now. Don't bring this kind of baggage into your future marriage. It will make cherishing your wife that much more difficult and your marriage that much more painful. Allow God to change your heart. Do the hard work of repentance and change now. You will reap the rewards in your marriage to come.

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Cherishing Your One and Only

This chapter in Everyman's Battle focuses on husbands properly loving their wives to protect themselves from temptation. For protection, a husband must be "consumed with God's purpose to cherish your wife." The authors state:

If Christians were consumed by God's purposes, it would first be reflected in our marriages. But the rates of divorce, adultery, and marital dissatisfactions in the Christian church reveal our hearts. We've known very few men consumed by their marriages, and fewer still consumed by purity, but both are God's desire for you. God's purpose for your marriage is that it parallels Christ's relationship to His church, that you be one with your wife.

This is critical. Marriage is certainly for the purposes of having children and sexual satisfaction, but the primary purpose is to reflect the relationship of Christ with his church. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church, and the wife is to lovingly submit to her husband as the church is to submit to Christ. A Christian marriage is supposed to be living expression of the gospel; a witness to the world. Remember this.

The chapter summary is quite good; I will quote it in its entirety here:

God entrusted your wife to you, and she placed herself in trust to you. How can we entrust such a valuable gift to some concept of cherishing based alone on wispy feelings? Christians like to say, "Love is not a feeling, it's a commitment." Well, this is the time to heed those words. We owe that love, despite our feelings.

In our society, we have "sensitivity training" and "cross-cultural enrichment" classes. We believe if we can only teach people the "right" feelings, they'll act correctly. In the Bible, however, God tells us the opposite: We're to first act correctly, and then right feelings will follow.

If you don't feel like cherishing, cherish anyway. Your right feelings will arrive soon enough.

Remember, the Bible says that God loved us while we were yet sinners. Clearly, loving the unlovely is a foundation of God's character, and cherishing the unlovely is its bedrock. Since Christ died for the church - the unlovely - and since our marriages should parallel Christ's relationship to the church, we have no excuse when we don't cherish our wives. God loved us before we were worthy; we can do nothing less for our wives.

Inside Your Corral

In chapter 18 of Everyman's Battle, the focus is on dealing with women who are in your social circle or "corral"; particularly, old girlfriends and ex-wives, and wives of friends. The authors warn: "...not every woman in these categories will be attractive to you. But if one of these women catchers your fancy or has retained a piece of your heart, something must be done. Each category has unique dangers, and each demands unique defenses...." This is a good chapter and touches on something that every man should take seriously.

Sometimes when things are not going well on the home front, men can dream about the good old days, particularly, idealized old flames: "If only I still had her in my life, things would be great." Of course, men don't remember the bad times with those women and, more importantly, they forget that they are married and have given up their rights to think about old flames. Basically, some men seek refuge in those relationships instead of dealing with the realities of a real relationship and turning to their only legitimate refuge, their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Remember, we get into the most trouble when we love something or someone more than God, when we seek refuge in something other than God, and when we desire something more than God.

Additional trouble can come from relationships with friend's wives. The authors ask, "Have you ever had an attraction to a friend's wife?" To protect yourself and her, follow these guidelines:

1. Limit all conversations between you and your friend's spouse unless your wife or your friend is with you. Keep things light and short.
2. If you phone your friend and he isn't home, get off the line with his wife promptly. Don't be rude, but don't plan on talking more than briefly to her.
3. If you stop by your friend's house and he isn't home, she may invite you in. What do you do then? Politely decline to enter. What possible purpose is served by staying?
4. Capture any attractions toward your friend's wife and nuke them totally. Return to the rules of starving the eyes and taking such thoughts captive. Never, ever tell yourself, " Oh, I can handle it - no problem."

Of course, these are only guidelines; you have to be wise and use discernment in your relationships. The point is, don't let yourself get between your friend and his wife, or let her get between you and your wife. Arterburn and Stoeker advise, "Protect your friend's hopes and dreams as diligently as you're own hopes and dreams" for love and marriage.

Great advice. In the next couple of posts we'll wrap up this series covering the last part of the book, "Victory in Your Heart."

Proverbs 10:9

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

Approaching Your Corral

The authors of Everyman's Battle make use of a lot of metaphors in their book. Some of them work; others not so much. In this chapter (and the previous) they put together a metaphor with mustangs, horses, corrals, and fences. I won't bother describing it. If it works for you...great.

In this chapter, they describe two types of women "who will approach your corral": (1) women you find attractive, and (2) women who find you attractive. To my benefit, I never had to worry about the latter, but some of you may not be that lucky!

How can you protect yourself against women you find attractive but who you should stay away from?
1. Bounce your eyes: We know what that is.
2. Avoid her: Sometimes this isn't possible, but do it when you can. Don't go out to lunch together or offer her a ride home. Avoid opportunities that create positive experiences with her until the attraction phase dies.
3. When you're in her company, play the dweeb: Don't try to act cool - act the opposite. A dweeb is the opposite of a player.

What do you do when someone finds you attractive? How do you starve these attractions?
1. Spend absolutely no time alone with this woman, even in public places.
2. Flee from her: Don't smile knowingly at her. Don't join her prayer group. Don't join her worship team. Don't be anywhere that she can be further impressed with you.
3. Prepare for situations: Think about what you will say to her when she asks you to lunch or calls you. Prepare for what you will say and do in different situations. Don't get caught off guard.

Tomorrow: More corral stuff.

John 12:25-26

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Your Mustang Mind

The 14th chapter of Everyman's Battle warns men to set up defenses for their minds: you can protect your eyes, but your mind can dream up all kinds of images to tempt you. They also warn against putting yourself in compromising situations. Don't think you can handle the temptation especially when getting close to a woman you are attracted to and thinking nothing will happen.

This story communicates the tragedy that can result from hubris and carelessness. Jack was involved in full-time Christian ministry, standing strong. He had no mental defense perimeter, however, because he blissfully thought he didn't need one. As a result he allowed Mary to come too close....

"Mary attended my church and was involved in the music ministry," Jack told us. "Because of my skills and position in the church, I was involved in many activities with her. We were in a small worship band, and during practices I noticed she began smiling in that certain way. She was pretty, and I was attracted, but I didn't give it much thought until she kept smiling at me. I got to thinking about it. The attractions were growing, and I felt a little excited and please with myself.

"One day, she stopped by my office and caught me alone. She began pouring out her troubles with her husband. As a minister, I often did counseling, so I felt I should listen. She started crying, and I put my arms around her, feeling sorry for her. She snuggled in a little, and I kind of liked it. She left, and nothing came of it, but now I was thinking about her constantly.

"Mary and I happened to take the same road to work, and I noticed she would be watching for me each morning, waving and smiling. At practice, she was more and more flattering of my musical talents. She looked at me with those eyes even when I preached, smiling slightly, though sitting right next to her husband. It was kind of naughty and thrilling.

"I began doing the strangest things, like driving miles out of my way to her office, just to see her car. What in the world did I gain by seeing her car, for Pete's sake? But it was romantic somehow. Finally, a few weeks later we were alone, and I kissed her. I knew that kiss would end my career at my church, but I couldn't help myself. The attraction had grown too strong."

Jack's career, marriage, and relationships with his children were severely damaged that afternoon. He said it could never happen, but it did happen because Jack lacked a defense perimeter.

When you have any hint something is going too far...any hint...run.

Proverbs 7:21-23

When faced with sexual temptation don't be swept away like the foolish young man in Proverbs 7:

With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast
till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.

Your Sword and Shield

The "sword" and "shield" referenced in chapter 13 of Everyman's Battle are two Bible verses. Memorizing these verses should help when your flesh and Satan are trying to convince you that "bouncing your eyes" and "starving your eyes" are a waste of time or - worse yet - infringe on your freedom. The authors recommend two verses:

"I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman." Job 31:1

"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." - 1 Cor. 6:18-20

In reference to the 1 Corinthians verse, the authors provide their interpretation: "We've distilled this shield-verse to its core kernel, and repeated it in the face of many tempting situations when facing sensual images or thoughts: You have no right to look at that or think about it. You haven't the authority.

I think this is a good principle. Daydreaming about what you want to do with a woman who is not your wife? You don't have the authority to do that. Staring at a woman's cleavage? You don't have the right to do that. Scanning the web for pornography? Your eyes are not your own - you are not authorized to do that.

Arterburn and Stoeker sum up the chapter this way: "Shield yourself from the power of temptation by submitting to God's definition of your rights."