Passion Habits
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
– Mark 1:35 (ESV)
Author: Brian
Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor
Passion Points
Here are some really good posts for your weekend reading:
15 Beautiful Benefits of the Word of God – Kristen Wetherell (Unlocking the Bible)
If you’re wondering how to come to the Word today, consider these 15 beautiful benefits of Scripture…
Five Specific Prayers for the Unsaved People in Your Life – Todd Benkert
There are people all around you who need Jesus. He wants to use you to reach them. Here are some of the specific ways you too can pray for people the in your life who need Christ…
The Repentant Heart is a Renouncing Heart – Trevin Wax
The repentant heart renounces any attempt to justify its sin; it humbly acknowledges sin’s existence and its sentence. The repentant heart renounces self-sufficiency; it knows its beating is a gracious gift of God…
Disillusionment with the Church – Jason Helopoulos
I would contend that many of our disillusions with the church are based upon a wrong ethic. We misunderstand the true nature of fellowship in the gospel community. And therefore, we wrongly apply the ethic of other communities to the church.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Communion with God
Communion with God discovers the excellence of his character, and by beholding him the soul is transformed. Holiness is conformity to Christ, and this secured by a growing intimacy with him.
– David McIntyre in The Hidden Life of Prayer
Sermon Songs: Isaiah 13-24
Our God reigns, brings desolation
Because of mankind’s sin
Defiled, devoured, dire destruction
The wicked will not win
Our Lord will reign with righteousness
With power and glory
With justice, love, and faithfulness
For all eternity
He’ll reign over a mighty throng
The redeemed of the earth
We’ll sing for joy a glorious song
Proclaiming His great worth
– From a sermon on Isaiah 13-24
(To the tune “O God Our Help In Ages Past”)
Ministry Monday
Here are some good ministry posts to consider:
Why Pastors Should Go On More Walks – Brandon (ProPreacher)
The Value of a Tired Soul – Dave Dunham (TGC)
How Does A Younger Pastor Seek To Disciple Older Members? – Brian Croft
Passion Passages
The Lord’s Passion For Us
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
– Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
How to Grow Spiritually – William Boekestein (Ligonier)
Participating in preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer must regulate the routine of any healthy Christian.
When We Best Learn the Bible – Jen Wilkin (DG)
But sound Bible study is rooted in a celebration of delayed gratification. Gaining Bible literacy requires allowing our study to have a cumulative effect — across weeks, months, years — so that the interrelation of one part of Scripture to another reveals itself slowly and gracefully, like a dust cloth slipping inch by inch from the face of a masterpiece.
What Is Your Mud Pie? – Tim Challies
It is one of C.S. Lewis’ most powerful and most enduring illustrations: An ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. It is a vivid illustration and one that is simple enough to see in the lives of other people—those people who settle for lesser pleasures when the greatest of all pleasures awaits. But I, at least, find it far more difficult to see in my own life. You may find it just as difficult. It is worth asking: What is your mud pie?
Success is Dangerous – Jared Wilson
We all prefer success to failure but, really, success is more dangerous. In failure, we know we rely totally on God’s approval and sustaining arm. In success, it is easy to begin looking around, surveying all the territories claimed, all the peoples gathered, all the ministry renown redounding, and we think, “Well, lookee here. Look what has been built with my talents, my gifts, my skills, my strategies, my visions, my sweat, my sacrifice.”
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church worshiping our great God!
What Our Pride Deserves
The Bible teaches that God humbles those who exalt themselves. Jesus received the humbling that our constant and unremitting self-exaltation merits. What does it deserve? Crucifixion! In other words, our self-exaltation is so heinous in God’s sight that it must be crucified. That is the humbling our pride deserves!
– William P. Farley in Gospel Powered Humility
Family Focus
Here are some good posts on parenting I’ve been collecting:
Five Things We Teach Our Kids When We Don’t Know They Are Watching – Melissa Edgington
When My Fashion Accessory Told Me To Take A Hike – Tim Challies (Yes, this is about parenting, and if you are reading this, you should probably consider this post.)
Daddy, Does God Want To Save Me? – David Murray
Growing in Humility
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. – 1 Peter 5:5-6 (ESV)
Peter tells us to clothe ourselves with humility. We are to humble ourselves toward others and before God. How do we do that? Today, I want to look at two general principles for growing in humility. Then once a week for the next several weeks, we will look at a specific application of those principles. Here are the two principles:
First, we need to renew our minds with Biblical truth (Romans 12:2). Our cultural is full of proud lies seeking to conform us into its way: “Life is all about me.” “You need to get yours.” “It doesn’t matter what God thinks; do your own thing.” “Buy this product so you can impress others with your superiority.” And so it goes. In midst of all this pride, we need to renew our minds in Biblical truth. We need to soak in the Bible that we might develop minds of humility.
Second, we need to train ourselves for godliness (I Timothy 4:7). There are certain habits or disciplines that we can practice to train ourselves in humility. We might call them habits of humility that not only flow out of humility, but also reinforce humility in our lives.
Two principles to help us grow in humility. Next week we will begin looking at some specific applications of those principles. In the meantime, perhaps you can think of your own applications of these principles for your own life.
Brian J. Mikul 