Author: Brian

Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor

Humility Before God, Part 1

On By BrianIn Virtue of Humility1 Comment

Humility before God begins with a right recognition of who God is and who I am, and this right recognition is grounded in Creation and the Fall.

In creation, we are reminded that God is the Creator and we are his creation.  God exists by himself, but we exist only because God made us.  God is not dependent on anything, but we are entirely dependent upon God.  So a right recognition of who God is and who I am is a recognition that God is the Creator and I am his creation.  He is God and I am not.

In the Fall, we are reminded that there is a great moral divide between us.  God is holy, without blemish or spot.  He is absolutely perfect and without sin.  And I am not.  I am a sinner.  I fail to love God as I should.  I fail to love people as I should.  I think thoughts I ought not think.  I say words I ought not say.  I do things I ought not do.  Even my best deeds are tainted with sin.  With Paul we say that all our righteousness is rubbish.  We cannot begin to meet God’s holiness.  So a right recognition of who God is and who I am is a recognition that God is holy and I am not.

A right recognition then means that God is greater than I am in both the realms of reality and morality.  The starting point of humility before God is keeping this recognition in mind throughout each day.  God is greater than I am.  God is my Creator and I am his creation.  God is holy and I am not.  The more I recognize and believe these truths, the more I should respond rightly to them; that is, the more I should walk in humility.

Humility is found in a right recognition which leads to a right response.  We will explore that right response in the next post.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here is some good reading for your weekend:

Consider the Glory of God – John Piper (via Desiring God)
A  great summary of the glory of God found in his many attributes.

7 Ways to Kill the Thanksgiving Impulse in Your Life – Jared Wilson
By learning what to overcome, we can grow in gratitude.

And for anyone who is struggling right now, here are two posts to encourage you to press on:
Don’t Give Up – Jon Bloom
Oh, That We Would Cling To Christ! – Becky at …Because He Said So

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day reveling in God’s glory, giving thanks to our Father, and clinging to our Savior!

Book Look: Unwavering Resolve

On By BrianIn Book Look

A few years ago I read Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions – 70 resolutions he made that he wanted to live by.  Many I found to be helpful.  But I also noticed that he seemed to repeat himself, or perhaps better put – there was no organization.  He simply recorded them as he thought of them.  I like organization!  Enter Steven J. Lawson’s book, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards.  Lawson organizes the resolutions into several categories.  For each category, he considers the related resolutions, as well as looking at Edwards’ other writings to flesh them out further.  The result is a challenging book calling us to:

  • The Priority of God’s Glory
  • The Putting Away of Sin
  • The Precipice of Eternity
  • The Passion of Discipline
  • The Practice of Love
  • The Posture of Self-Examination

All of these categories are set in the context of the first two chapters looking at Edwards’ life and the prerequisite of faith.  If you are looking for a helpful book to examine your life and challenge you to live for the Lord, this is a great choice.

Passion News

On By BrianIn Current Collection

Today I am beginning a new semi-regular feature called “Passion News.”  The point is to address important items of news for people seeking to live with a passion for God and compassion for people in response to Christ’s passion for us.

For this first post, we need to consider the Obama administration’s plan to require even religious organizations to include birth control in their health insurance policies.  This is a big problem for Catholic organizations, as the Catholic Church rejects the use of birth control.  But it should also concern anyone who is pro-life, because the birth control that must be included in these policies includes methods that cause abortions.  And it should concern anyone who believes in freedom of religion over anyone’s pet policy whether it be from the left or right.

To learn more, a good place to start is this article from Christianity Today.  You might also check out this FAQ at the Gospel Coalition.  Influential evangelical leaders like Rick Warren and Charles Colson are calling evangelicals to stand with the Catholic Church and have raised the possibility of civil disobedience.  The Catholic Church has pledged not to give in.  Considering that 1 in 6 people in this country use Catholic hospitals, I’m betting that the government will have to give in if the Catholic Church stays firm on this issue.  The Obama administration can hardly fine that many hospitals out of existence – talk about a medical and political nightmare! 

In response to the backlash, President Obama offered what he called a compromise, which does nothing to end the issue or solve the freedom of religion infringement. 

Meanwhile J. E. Dyer at Patheos points out that the more things we want (or allow) the government to control, the less room there is for relious freedom. 

And in the most recent news, a House committee held a hearing to review the administration’s policy, inviting several clery from various religions.  Read this article to see the incredible disdain some of our government officials have for clergy and the freedom of religion.  Compassion for people requires us to act better than these folks.

Spiritual Slacker

On By BrianIn Uncategorized

Heard this devotional this morning on the radio from Our Daily Bread.  Well worth considering:

While studying the book of Proverbs in my small-group Bible study, our leader suggested that we change the description of a lazy person from a sluggard to a slacker (6:6,9). Ah, now he was speaking my lingo. I immediately started thinking of all the people I consider to be slackers.

Like the men and women who fail to teach and discipline their children. Or that guy who refuses to help around the house. Or those teenagers who neglect their studies and play Internet games day and night.

If we’re honest, we’re all susceptible to this. What about being a “prayer slacker” (1 Thess. 5:17-18), or a “Bible-reading slacker” (Ps. 119:103; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), or a “non-exercising-of-our-spiritual-gift slacker” (Rom. 12:4-8), or a “non-witnessing slacker”? (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

If we are not doing what we know God wants us to do, we are certainly spiritual slackers.

For the rest, see here.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points1 Comment

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Looking Firmly at the Cross of Christ – J. C. Ryle (via Erik Kowalker)
Great quote on our need to constantly come back to the cross.

20 Ways Satan May Seek To Destroy You This Week – Paul Tautges
We dismiss the devil too easily.  He wants to destroy us.  This post is a great look at his strategies that we might beterr be on our guard.

Self-Love and Loving Others – Barnabas Piper (via World Magazine)
Loving others does not start by loving yourself more.

This One Thing I Must Do – Thom Rainer
We must love one another.

Show Hospitality and Share the Gospel – Tim Chester
I’ve been reading Chester’s book, A Meal with Jesus.  This post is an excerpt from the book that really caught my attention about a Jesus-practiced evangelism strategy.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day focused on the cross and loving your brothers and sisters in Christ!

Wondrous

On By BrianIn Books of the Bible

  You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
  your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
  none can compare with you!
 I will proclaim and tell of them,
  yet they are more than can be told.
– Psalm 40:5

Father, help us to grasp your wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us.
Help us grasp how great you are – that nothing on this earth compares with you.
Help us to grasp so that we cannot help but proclaim to all who will listen.
Overwhelm our hearts to the point that it overflows out of our mouths.
For your glory.  Amen.

Book Look: Jonathan Edwards Bios

On By BrianIn Book Look

I have been reading about Jonathan Edwards off and on for the last few years.  From his part in the Great Awakening to his extensive writings, he is well worth learning more about.  Here are some brief thoughts on four biographies:

Jonathan Edwards 
by George Marsden

At over 600 pages, this is the definitive biography. 
If you want to learn a lot about Edwards’ life and thought,
this is the place to go.  Scholarly, yet very accessible.

A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards
by George Marsden

As the title suggests this is a shorter biography
(about 150 pages) by the same author for the
person who wants a quicker summation of Edwards’ life.

Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography
by Iain H. Murray

At around 500 pages, this biography gives a full and clear
look at Edwards’ life and thought.  Spiritually challenging.
This was the first bio of Edwards I read.

Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word
by Douglas A. Sweeney

At around 200 pages, this is a good introduction to Edwards’ life and thought.  Well written and easy to read.  As the last bio of Edwards I read, I found it to be a good summary and reminder of Edwards’ life.

While We Wait

On By BrianIn Book of Luke

In Luke 21, Jesus tells us about the coming destruction of Jerusalem (which happened in AD 70) and his coming again (sometime yet in the future).  Several responses flow for us while we wait for his return:

Do not be led astray (v8).  People will claim to be the Christ.  They will claim to know when Christ is coming back.  We see this today.  Don’t go after them.  Don’t be led astray.

Do not be afraid (v9).  There will be wars, famines, earthquakes, and all kinds of disasters.  We see these things today.  But the world is not spinning out of control.  We don’t have to fear because God has a plan.  These things must happen, but Christ is coming back.  We may see rough times, but paradise is on the horizon.  Don’t fear.

Bear witness (v13).  Christians will be arrested, persecuted, hated, even killed.  We see this around the world today.  But this will provide opportunities to bear witness.  We must continue to tell others about Jesus.

Remember our hope (v18-19).  Though persecuted and even killed, not a hair on our heads will be harmed and we will gain our lives.  My interpretation is that Jesus is pointing to our resurrection bodies.  Things may get rough here, but remember your hope of the resurrection.

Endure (v19).  Persevere.  Press on.  Stand firm.  Be patient in affliction.  Be steadfast in your faith.  Don’t give up.  Don’t turn away.  Don’t lose your faith.  Endure through the trials looking toward the reward.

Believe (v20-24).  Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, and it happened just as he said it would.  This is a faith-booster for us.  If his first prophecy came true, we have every reason to believe that his second prophecy will come true too.  We can believe that Christ is coming back just as he said he would.

Rejoice in your hope (v28).  When we see the signs of his coming, Jesus tells us to “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  We don’t need to freak out like the rest of the world.  Rather we should rejoice – Christ is coming soon!

Be alert (v34-36).  Don’t let your heart be weighed down with sin our worries.  Don’t lose sight of your hope!  Stay awake.  Pray!  Keep looking to Christ.  One day we will stand before him.  Stay alert!

Jesus is coming soon!  Let’s live each day in light of his coming.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Seems the only time I hvae to blog lately is Saturday mornings.  Anyway, here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

How to Deal with Persistant Guilt – Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington (via The Gospel Driven Church) – Six helpful suggestions all related to shifting your focus.

Jesus Chooses and Uses Failures – Jon Bloom (via Desiring God)
The example of Peter is good news for all of us.

Good and Angry – Paul Tripp (via The Gospel Coalition)
The right and wrong way to be angry.

How to Pray for your Pastor – Ignatius of Antioch, 35-108 A. D. (via Trevin Wax)
Pray that your pastor would impress people with the greatness of Christ.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day being impressed with the greatness of Christ!