For my own part I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that “nothing happens” when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.
Archive for August, 2009
C.S. Lewis on Doctrine
Posted in Uncategorized on August 31, 2009 by HarryThe Study of God
Posted in * Favorites, Bible, Theology on August 29, 2009 by Harry
Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.
- J.I. Packer from Knowing God
Spurgeon on Dependence
Posted in Atonement, Dependence on August 27, 2009 by Harry
NEVERTHELESS, I AM CONTINUALLY WITH YOU. – PSALM 73:23
Nevertheless”—as if, notwithstanding all the foolishness and ignorance that David has just been confessing to God, not one atom was it less true and certain that David was saved and accepted, and that the blessing of being constantly in God’s presence was undoubtedly his. Fully conscious of his own lost estate and of the deceitfulness and vileness of his nature, yet, by a glorious outburst of faith, he sings, “Nevertheless, I am continually with you.” Believer, you are forced to enter into Asaph’s confession and acknowledgment; endeavor in like spirit to say “nevertheless, since I belong to Christ I am continually with God!” By this is meant continually upon His mind—He is always thinking of me for my good. Continually before His eye—the eye of the Lord never sleeps but is perpetually watching over my welfare. Continually in His hand, so that none shall be able to pluck me away. Continually on His heart, worn there as a memorial, even as the high priest bore the names of the twelve tribes upon his heart forever. You always think of me, 0 God. The tender mercies of Your love continually yearn toward me. You are always making providence work for my good. You have set me as a signet upon Your arm; Your love is strong as death, and many waters cannot quench it; neither can the floods drown it. Surprising grace! You see me in Christ, and though in myself disapproved, You behold me as wearing Christ’s garments and washed in His blood, and so I stand accepted in Your presence. I am therefore continually in Your favor—”continually with you.” Here is comfort for the tried and afflicted soul; vexed with the tempest within, look at the calm without. “Nevertheless”-0 say it in your heart, and take the peace it gives. “Nevertheless, I am continually with you.”
- Morning and Evening, July 29th a.m. entry
It’s In The Valleys I Grow
Posted in * Favorites, Trials and Suffering on August 20, 2009 by Harry
Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It’s then I have to remember
That it’s in the valleys I grow.
If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God’s love
And would be living in vain.
I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it’s in the valleys I grow.
I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan’s loss.
Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I’m feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it’s in the valleys I grow.
Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it’s in the valleys I grow!
- Jane J. Eggleston
Tests of Salvation, part B
Posted in Lifestyle, Sin with tags Assurance on August 19, 2009 by Harry- Paul Washer From Biblical Assurance, part 3c
- 1 John 2:6 “6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
- This is not an option
- What does it mean to walk like Jesus?
- We cannot walk perfectly like Jesus and we may fall but our heart’s greatest desire is to be like Jesus
- Our greatest desire should be to reflect the life of Christ
- The one who says he walks with Jesus should walk like Jesus
Tests of Salvation, part A
Posted in Sin with tags Assurance on August 18, 2009 by Harry- Paul Washer From Biblical Assurance, part 3b
- 1 John 1:6 “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
- If we call ourselves Christian yet live our lives in contradiction to God’s nature and His revealed will then we are not Christians
- Not all who proclaim the name of Christ know Him
- 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
- One of the greatest marks of a Christian is that we are sensitive to the sin in our lives
- We live in a culture immersed in and sin and this culture does influence us
- If we have been truly converted, the sin we once loved, we will despise it
- 1 John 2:3-6 “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
- This does not mean that we are Christians only if we keep the commandments of God perfectly
- He is talking about a style of life
- That when someone looks at the entirety of your Christian life 24 hours/day, 7 days/week they will not see perfection, but they will see is a style of life given towards the word of God, that seeks to know the word of God, and seeks to obey the word of God – and has some measure of victory in doing those two things
How Do We Know If We Are Saved?
Posted in Reformed, Salvation with tags Assurance on August 17, 2009 by Harry- Paul Washer From Biblical Assurance, part 3a
- One of the problems in Evangelical community today is our weak gospel
- We are not saved by repeating a prayer
- At conversion, we become a new creature
- If we profess to know Christ, in order to know that our profession is true, Paul tells us to test ourselves
- We cannot say “In my heart I know I am saved” for our hearts are desperately wicked
- Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked . . . ?
- We also cannot say “I think I am saved”
- Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
- 1 John is the text
- The Gospel of John was written so that by hearing it may come to profess that Jesus is the saviour of the world and that they may have eternal life
- This epistle of John was written so that those who profess in Christ might know if that profession is true
- If it doesn’t look like a Christian, if it doesn’t talk like a Christian, if it doesn’t act like a Christian – it is not a Christian – we do not need to look in the heart
- The whole concept of “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is not in the gospels of Jesus Christ, in fact Jesus said the opposite “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)
- This is not a minor test
- Does our life demonstrate that we know the Lord?
Give All Glory to God
Posted in Humility with tags Glory on August 16, 2009 by Harry
ASCRIBE TO THE LORD THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME. – PSALM 29:2
God’s glory is the result of His nature and acts. He is glorious in His character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy and good and lovely in God that He must be glorious. The actions that flow from His character are also glorious; but while He intends that they should display to His creatures His goodness and mercy and justice, He is equally concerned that the glory associated with them should be given only to Himself. Not that there is anything in ourselves in which we may glory; for who makes us different from another? And what do we have that we did not receive from the God of all grace? Then how careful we ought to be to walk humbly before the Lord! The moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High. Shall an insect that’s been around for only an hour glorify itself against the sun that warmed it into life? Shall the clay pot exalt itself above the man who fashioned it upon the wheel? Shall the dust of the desert strive with the whirlwind? Or the drops of the ocean struggle with the storm? Give to the Lord, all you righteous, give to the Lord glory and strength; give to Him the honor that is due His name. It is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence—”Not to us, 0 LORD, not unto us, but to your name give glory.”‘ It is a lesson that God is always teaching us, and teaching us sometimes by the most painful discipline. Let a Christian begin to boast, “I can do all things,” without adding “through Christ who strengthens me,” and before long he will have to groan, “I can do nothing” and bemoan himself in the dust. When we do anything for the Lord, and He is pleased to accept our doings, let us lay our crown at His feet and exclaim, “Not I, but the grace of God that is with me.“
- Charles Spurgeon from Morning and Evening, August 16th a.m. entry
Attitude
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Attitude on August 15, 2009 by Harry
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude …
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
- Charles Swindoll
Paul Washer on Sin and the Sensitivity to Sin
Posted in Pride, Sin on August 14, 2009 by Harry- “If we say” – means absolutely nothing
- A true Christian will be sensitive to the sin in their lives and it will lead them to brokenness and confession
- The true Christian does not live without sin, but the true Christian is sensitive to sin
- When is the last time you were broken over your sin and weeping?
- What is your attitude toward sin?
- How do we respond when someone tells us we have sinned?
- God sometimes uses individuals to expose our sin
- If we say we have no sin, we are only deceiving ourselves
- Trying to hide sin is like trying to hide cancer from the only one who has the cure
- The only reason we will not be sensitive to our sin is pride
- Self-righteousness
- the more and more we deny God’s truth as it applies to our life our heart becomes stone cold
- we become a religious person who knows not God
- From Biblical Assurance, part 2
- Text is John 1:4
Spurgeon on Backsliding
Posted in Pride on August 13, 2009 by HarryOH, THAT I WERE AS IN THE MONTHS OF OLD. — Jos 29:2
Many Christians are able to view the past with pleasure but regard the present with dis- satisfaction. They look back upon the days that they have spent in communing with the Lord as being the sweetest and the best they have ever known; but as to the present, it is as if they were smothered by a heavy blanket of gloom and dreariness. Once they lived near Jesus, but now they feel that they have wandered from Him, and they say, “Oh, that I were as in the months of old.” They complain that they have lost their evidences, or that they no longer have peace of mind, or that they have no enjoyment in the means of grace, or that their conscience is hardened, or that they are no longer as zealous for God’s glory as they once were. The causes of this mournful state of things are many. It may arise through a comparative neglect of prayer, for a neglected closet is the beginning of all spiritual decline. Or it may be the result of idolatry. The heart has been occupied with something else, more than with God; the affections have been set on the things of earth instead of the things of heaven. A jealous God will not be content with a divided heart; He must be loved first and best. He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering heart. Or the cause may be found in self-confidence and self-righteousness. Pride is busy in the heart, and self is exalted instead of lying low at the foot of the cross. Christian, if you are not now as you “were… in the months of old,” do not be content to simply wish for a return of your former happiness, but go at once to seek your Master and tell Him your sad state. Ask His grace and strength to enable you to walk more closely with Him; humble yourself before Him, and He will lift you up and allow you once more to enjoy the light of His countenance. Do not sit down to sigh and lament; while the beloved Physician lives there is hope; there is a certainty of recovery even for the worst cases.
- From Morning and Evening, July 11th a.m. entry
Spurgeon on Fleeing Temptation
Posted in Temptation with tags Worldy Pursuits on August 11, 2009 by Harry“He left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” -Genesis 39:12
In contending with certain sins there remains no mode of victory but by flight. The ancient naturalists wrote much of basilisks, whose eyes fascinated their victims and rendered them easy victims; so the mere gaze of wickedness puts us in solemn danger. He who would be safe from acts of evil must haste away from occasions of it. A covenant must be made with our eyes not even to look upon the cause of temptation, for such sins only need a spark to begin with and a blaze follows in an instant. Who would wantonly enter the leper’s prison and sleep amid its horrible corruption? He only who desires to be leprous himself would thus court contagion. If the mariner knew how to avoid a storm, he would do anything rather than run the risk of weathering it. Cautious pilots have no desire to try how near the quicksand they can sail, or how often they may touch a rock without springing a leak; their aim is to keep as nearly as possible in the midst of a safe channel.
This day I may be exposed to great peril, let me have the serpent’s wisdom to keep out of it and avoid it. The wings of a dove may be of more use to me to-day than the jaws of a lion. It is true I may be an apparent loser by declining evil company, but I had better leave my cloak than lose my character; it is not needful that I should be rich, but it is imperative upon me to be pure. No ties of friendship, no chains of beauty, no flashings of talent, no shafts of ridicule must turn me from the wise resolve to flee from sin. The devil I am to resist and he will flee from me, but the lusts of the flesh, I must flee, or they will surely overcome me. O God of holiness preserve us like Joseph, that we may not be seduced by the subtle, vile suggestions of the temptress. May the horrible trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil, never overcome us!
- From Morning and Evening, July 25 th a.m. entry
Prayer – A.C.T.S.
Posted in Prayer on August 9, 2009 by Harry
A.C.T.S. is an easy way to remember key elements of prayer.
Adoration – “Praise be to God!” (Psalm 68:35) Tell God how much you appreciate Him. Express your love for Him. Praise His power and majesty. This is a great way to begin your prayer time. Sometimes I watch the sun rise, and praise God for the beauty of His creation. You should never run out of praise. “How awesome are your deeds!” (Psalm 66:3)
Confession - “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Tell Him where you have fallen short. Be specific. I thank Him for the forgiveness I have in Christ, and ask for help and strength to turn away from future temptations.
Thanksgiving – Always “glorify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30) You have plenty of reasons to be thankful. Thank God for His love, His faithfulness, His patience and a million other things. Express gratitude for what He’s doing in your life. Thank Jesus for dying on the cross for you. Thank the Holy Spirit for indwelling you, and never leaving. Thank Him for being your conscience, your counselor and that “still small voice.”
Supplication - “Make your requests known to God.” (Philippians 4:7) Tell God what you want, no matter how small it seems to you. Do you really think any of your requests are big to God the Creator? You should have lots of intercessory prayer here. Remember: As a Promise Keeper, you are committed to pray for your pastor and your church every day.
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R.C. Sproul on the Tithe
Posted in Giving with tags Tithe on August 8, 2009 by Harry
Will Man Rob God?Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul
How is it possible that somebody who has given his life to Christ can withhold their financial gifts from Him? I have heard many excuses or explanations for this. The most common is the assertion that the tithe is part of the Old Testament law that has passed away with the coming of the New Testament. This statement is made routinely in spite of the complete lack of New Testament evidence for it. Nowhere in the New Testament does it teach us that the principle of the tithe has been abrogated (abolished). The New Testament does teach us, however, that the new covenant is superior to the old covenant. It is a covenant that gives more blessings to us than the old covenant did. It is a covenant that with its manifold blessings imposes greater responsibilities than the Old Testament did. If anything, the structure of the new covenant requires a greater commitment to financial stewardship before God than that which was required in the old covenant. That is to say, the starting point of Christian giving is the tithe. The tithe is not an ideal that only a few people reach but rather should be the base minimum from which we progress.
Is the New Testament Reliable, part 2
Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Canon with tags New Testament Reliability on August 7, 2009 by Harry
The New Testament is constantly under attack and its reliability and accuracy are often contested by critics- But, if the critics want to disregard the New Testament, then they must also disregard other ancient writings by Plato, Aristotle, and Homer
- This is because the New Testament documents are better-preserved and more numerous than any other ancient writings
- Because they are so numerous, they can be cross checked for accuracy… and they are very consistent
- The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99.5% textually pure (see below)
- Almost all biblical scholars agree that the New Testament documents were all written before the close of the First Century
- If Jesus was crucified in 30 A.D., then that means that the entire New Testament was completed within 70 years
- This is important because it means there were plenty of people around when the New Testament documents were penned who could have contested the writings
- In other words, those who wrote the documents knew that if they were inaccurate, plenty of people would have pointed it out
- But, we have absolutely no ancient documents contemporary with the First Century that contest the New Testament texts
Jerry Bridges on the Remedy for Sin
Posted in * Favorites, Sin with tags Forgiveness, Gospel, Praise, Thanks on August 5, 2009 by Harry
Why does God not count my sins against me? Because He has already charged it to Christ. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (53:6).
To the extent that I grasp, in the depth of my being, this great truth of God’s forgiveness of my sin through Christ, I will be freed up to honestly and humbly face the particular manifestations of sin in my life. That’s why it is so helpful to affirm each day with John Newton that “I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior.”
Should we strive to know God better?
Posted in Theology with tags Knowledge on August 4, 2009 by Harry“The people that do know their God shall be strong.” –Daniel 11:32
Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are enlightened and taught of the Lord; they are said to “have been annointed the Holy One,” and it is the Spirit’s peculiar office to lead them into all truth, and all this for the increase and the fostering of their faith. Knowledge strengthens love, as well as faith. Knowledge opens the door, and then through that door we see our Saviour. Or, to put it another way, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see that portrait then we love Him, we cannot love a Christ whom we do not know, at least, in some degree. If we know but little of the excellences of Jesus, what He has done for us, and what He is doing now, we cannot love Him much; but the more we know Him, the more we shall love Him. Knowledge also strengthens hope. How can we hope for a thing if we do not know of its existence? Hope may be the telescope, but till we receive instruction, our ignorance stands in the front of the glass, and we can see nothing whatever; knowledge removes the interposing object, and when we look through the bright optic glass we discern the glory to be revealed, and anticipate it with joyous confidence. Knowledge supplies us reasons for patience. How shall we have patience unless we know something of the sympathy of Christ, and understand the good which is to come out of the correction which our heavenly Father sends us? There is not a single Christian who, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy knowledge. It is then very important that we should grow not only in grace, but in the “knowledge” of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
- Charles Spurgeon from Morning and Evening, August 4th a.m. entry
Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God
Posted in Giving with tags Steward on August 3, 2009 by Harry
Is It Just a Money Issue? by Burk Parsons
Several years after my father’s death in 1992 I found an old shoebox among my father’s belongings. Among the various items in the shoebox, I came across a stack of letters that my father had written just prior to his death. As I began to read the first letter I quickly realized he had written them to me but that he never had the opportunity to give them to me because his cancer consumed his body more quickly than the oncologist had expected. In one of the letters, my father wrote, “Learn to live with a little less.”
I have never forgotten that admonition, and having often wondered what made my father’s generation different from my own, I have come to the following conclusions: My father’s generation knew what it was to live with a little less. My generation always seems to “need” just a little more. My father’s generation asked this question of God, family, neighbor, and country: “How can I serve you with my time, money, and resources?” My generation asks, “How can you serve me with your time, money, and resources?” My father’s generation was a generation of honorable, principled, and hard-working men and women who felt truly blessed by God to be alive, to have the health to give of themselves to others, and to be fortunate enough to give of their time, money, and resources so that future generations could prosper. My generation is consumed with consumption. It is the generation of entitlement, instant gratification, and expediency. My generation has no understanding of what our fathers and forefathers fought for, what they sacrificed, and how much they gave of their time, money, and resources.
This is not just an issue about money but about how we worship God as stewards of all that He has entrusted to us as we live before His face each and every day. Nevertheless, we must never forget that it is the love of money that is “a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Tim. 6:10). In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges, one from among my father’s generation, writes, “If money wins out in our lives, it is not God but we who lose. Ultimately, God does not need our money. If we spend it on ourselves, it is we who become spiritual paupers” (p. 169).
- From August Tabletalk Magazine
- Burk Parsons is editor of Tabletalk magazine and associate minister at Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Florida, and is editor of the book John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, & Doxology.
