Here are some good posts for singles:
Single, Satisfied, and Sent: Mission for the Not-Yet Married – Marshall Segai (DG)
4 Things God Says to Singles – Vaughn Roberts (TGC)
Today Was Supposed to Be My Wedding Day – M. Conner (TGC)
Author: Brian
Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor
Responding to God’s Words
In Sunday School, my church has started a study on the Ten Commandments. As a result, you will be seeing lots of quotes and thoughts on the Ten Commandments during the next several weeks. This past Sunday was an introduction.
Jani Ortlund has a wonderful book on how to pass on the Ten Commandments to our children. In it, she suggests three things we should do with the Ten Commandments:
The first thing we should do is listen to his words… Listening is communing with God. It is seeing reality from his perspective…
The second thing we should do is love his words… Open, eager cherishing of God’s words leads us into deeper intimacy with him. Loving his words is experiencing life in his presence…
The third thing we should do is leave his words. His words are for listening, for loving, and also for leaving a legacy to the children in our lives… Intentional, insightful teaching of God’s words brings our families into a sacred accountability with God. It is passing on a way of life that will last forever.
So how are we doing in our response to God’s words? Are we listening? Do we love them? Are we passing them on to the next generation?
Prayer Quote of the Week
To pray is not only to be truly godly;
it is also to be truly human.
– John R. W. Stott
Sermon Songs: Isaiah 29
The world is spirit’ly asleep
They’re deaf, ignore the Word
Cry out to God and for them weep
Proclaim ‘til all have heard
Our hearts grow cold to the gospel
To God draw near and look
Cry out to Him for revival
Open and read the Book
Our country lives in rebellion
God’s judgment’s drawing near
Fight temptation, flee from all sin
Speak Christ to all who’ll hear
From a sermon on Isaiah 29
(To the tune of “Amazing Grace”)
Declaring the Glory
Pictured Rocks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
What Love Looks Like
The Ten Commandments spell out what love for God and our neighbors looks like. The content of our love for God and neighbor is not for us to decide. We are too sinful, too selfish, and too foolish to make our own decisions about these matters.
– Charles Colson in the Forward to
Pathway to Freedom by Alistair Begg
Stir Up Your Heart
Yesterday we asked the question: where is your heart? Today we want to consider how we can stir up our heart for God. In Isaiah 29, God not only confronts the people with their heartless worship (v13), he goes on to tell them that he is going to a do a great wonder that will baffle the wisdom of men (v14). What is this great wonder? Isaiah never tells us. But Paul does.
In I Corinthians 1:18-19, Paul quotes this verse in reference to the cross. The cross is the great wonder that God would do that would baffle the wisdom of men. At the cross, God in the flesh dies for sinful humanity. At the cross, God’s mercy and judgment meet. At the cross, God shows the full extent of his love for us. And as we meditate on the cross, on his great love for us, our hearts are stirred up to love him in response. As we humbly kneel before the cross we “obtain fresh joy in the Lord” (Isaiah 29:19).
Verse 19 goes on to say that we will “exult in the Holy One of Israel.” He is holy, beyond us, glorious. As we meditate on his greatness, our fear of God transcends the mere command of men. Our fear of God becomes real; our worship becomes real. Our hearts are stirred up by his glory.
So let us draw near to God. Let us meditate on the cross and on his glory, and so stir up our hearts to beat for him.
Ministry Monday
Here are some good posts on ministry:
What I Wish I’d Known: Reflections on Nearly 40 Years of Pastoral Ministry – Sam Storms (TGC)
What Are Ten Characteristics I Look for in an Aspiring Pastor – Brian Croft (Practical Shepherding)
5 Components of Effective Delegation – Matt Perman (Catalyst)
Where Is Your Heart?
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men….
– Isaiah 29:13 (ESV)
We see here a spiritual deadness. Judah was just going through the religious motions. They were just following the religious traditions. And the problem was not that the traditions were dead. The problem was them. The problem was their hearts.
Our church celebrates the Lord’s Supper once a month. We have a Worship Service every Sunday at 11 a.m. Those are traditions. The issue is not the traditions, but the heart of the people as they come.
So where is your heart? Why do you gather with your church? Why do you minister? Is it just a habit (albeit a good one)? Is it just a tradition (again a good one)? Are you just going through the religious motions? Or do you gather with your church and serve others out of heart for God? Does your heart beat to worship God and serve others for Him?
Where is your heart?
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Don’t Waste Your Twenties – Trevin Wax
Friends, if you are entering or still in your twenties, let me exhort you: do not sit these years out. Do not wait on the big job or the amazing ministry you think you deserve. Love God and love people now.
Apple Watch – Lev Grossman and Matt Vella (via Mike Wittmer)
I’m thinking all of this has something to do with idolatry, identity, and loving people:
The reality of living with an iPhone, or any smart, connected mobile device, is that it makes reality feel just that little bit less real. One gets overconnected, to the point where one is apt to pay attention to the thoughts and opinions of distant anonymous strangers over those of loved ones who are in the same room. One forgets how to be alone and undistracted. Ironically enough experiences don’t feel fully real till you’ve used your phone to make them virtual–tweeted them or tumbled them or Instagrammed them or YouTubed them–and the world has congratulated you for doing so.
The Spirit Is Willing But the Schedule Is Tight – Garrett Kell (TGC)
So if the Spirit is willing to set up divine appointments, how should we prepare to respond—even when our schedule is full? There are no magic answers, but here are a few things to prayerfully consider.
26 Ways to “Provoke the I Peter 3:15 Question” at Work – J.D. Greear
Peter is supposing that your life provokes that question—that people are asking, “Why do you do what you do?” Here is a list of 26 ways…
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Brian J. Mikul 