Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
First, some posts about the gospel. Tullian Tchividjian talks about the important connection between the gospel and our Christian growth in two posts here and here. Meanwhile, Trevin Wax suggests that worry comes from a failure to grasp the gospel.
Second, another post on idolatry. Thabiti Anyabwile gives us a quote from Paul David Tripp that ties our desires, idolatry, and spiritual adultery together.
Here are some good posts for the weekend to challenge you to grow in your walk with the Lord:
First, Ray Ortland quotes Simone Weil with the reminder that worship is inevitable – the only question is whether we will worship God or an idol. If we want to worship God, Kevin DeYoung provides us with 20 Biblical ways to glorify God.
Second, Stephen Altrogge reminds us that we should seek to live in such a way that others can imitate us, and that we should seek others that we can imitate. While we follow Christ, it is helpful for us to see what that means fleshed out in one another.
Third, there are a number of posts related to spiritual disciplines worth looking at. Chris Brauns invites us to the habit of true confession to one another toward the end of reconciliation (the comic alone is worth looking at). Then Stephen Altrogge asks four people about godly habits they have cultivated. There are some interesting ones to consider. Here are the links to this four part series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. What is a godly habit that has helped form you that you might share with us? Comments are open.
I’ve been busy getting ready for winter which could be here any day where I live, and so blogging has had to move to the back burner for a bit. But hopefully I’ll be blogging again this week. To kick-off, here a few posts of interest to check out:
First, Crossway gives us an excerpt of Darrin Patrick’s new book Church Planter, which among other things addresses different types of idolatry.
Stephen Altrogge addresses the issue of being too busy to delight in Jesus. And Mike Wittmer calls us to slow down to notice the love of God in our daily lives.
Finally, Mike Wiitmer calls us to stop living like atheists, and run to God in prayer.
Happy reading!
Highlights from around the web:
Give yourself a spiritual check-up. Don’t like the results? C.J. Mahaney gives some Biblical help for your spiritual dehyrdration.
Another test – how do you know when you really understand the gospel?
And then back to our old problem of idolatry. Here are some helpful questions to help you identify your functional saviors. And have you ever considered that your idols are like a pacifier?
Finally, remember to pray for God to powerfully work in your pastor’s preaching of the Word for the building up of Christ’s church and the glory of God.
Some links to check out for the week:
First, a few more links addressing our problem of individualism. As Justin Taylor reminds us, it can affect the way we read the Bible. As John Stott notes, individualism also infects our understanding of salvation and the church. Against this individualism, Trevin Wax notes one of many reasons that we need the church.
Second, Darrin Patrick addreses the idolatry issue by reminding us that we are all worshippers. Thabiti Anyabwile gives us great quote from Thomas Watson on the true believer’s desire for Christ.
Third, Tullian Tchividjian reminds us that God calls many to secular jobs which they are to do to the glory of God. An excerpt: Martin Luther was once approached by a working man who wanted to know how he could serve the Lord. Luther asked him, “What is your work now?” The man replied, “I’m a shoemaker.” Much to the cobbler’s surprise, Luther replied, “Then make a good shoe and sell it at a fair price.” He didn’t tell the man to make “Christian shoes.” I love that last sentence. I can see it now: Shoes with a Christian fish on them – that would make them Christian, right? Spare us! Read the rest of the link to think further about secular callings.
Fourth, how do we decide what to do in those so called grey areas? Justin Taylor gives us eight helpful questions to ask to help us answer the grey area question.
Fifth, J. D. Greear gives a thought-provoking post on how generosity and the gospel necessarily relate.
Finally, consider Trevin Wax’s helpful prayer for humility.
As I continue to try to catch up on the last month, this edition will focus on Growing in Godliness. All of these links are well worth the look…and time for reflection.
We’ll start with Kevin DeYoung’s Ditches on the Path to Godliness. We tend to either think on one hand that the path is easy or on the hand that the path is impossible. As DeYoung puts it: In contrast to these two dangers, those on the path of holiness realize that growth is possible and it is also hard work.
Recognizing the ditches, how can we grow in godliness? Dane Ortlund asked several Christian leaders what they thought the key to growth was. The answers are thought-provoking.
But why do we grow so slowly? What holds us back? Ray Ortlund quotes Archibald Alexander who gives us three reasons we make so little progress.
Finally, as we remember that growing in godliness is a path through life rather than a destination, check out these beautiful and often amazing pictures of roads.
It has been a few weeks since I have featured this, and good posts have piled up a bit. I feel like I’m editing a magazine as I choose posts I would encourage you to check out. I think perhaps we will do this in a couple installments. This post will focus on God and idolatry.
We begin with a post from a month ago when Anne Rice announced she was leaving the church. Mike Wittmer suggests the underlying sin behind her decision – and none of us are immune to it. Indeed Mike suggests it is our modern sin. It makes an idol of ourselves and directly opposes three passion living.
Another popular god is fashion which many seemed enslaved too (do you regularly have to have new clothes, a new car, a new ipod, etc. to stay in fashion?), and all of us are influened by it to some degree. Tullian Tchividjian gives us a great quote from Spurgeon for all of us to consider on fashion.
One big problem we have is that we can make even our views of God into idolatry (as the Second Commandment warns us against). Ray Ortlund gives us a classic quote from A.W. Tozer reminding us how important our view of God is. How closely does our view of God match what he has revealed to us?
When our views of God get small, idols become more tempting. Justin Taylor gives us a great quote from John Piper reminding us that God is better than all the idols in this world. And Thabiti Anyabwile gives us a quote from Thomas Watson calling us to see the empiness of our idols that we might turn to the fullness of Christ.
One final quote and one of my favorites on the folly of idolatry from Jeremiah:
Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried, for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.
As idols call our name, may this verse come to mind.
The summer seems a bit slow in the blogosphere with many taking breaks, but here are a few posts to chew on:
One of my desires is not only to live this three passion life, but to pass it on to my children. This requires me to spend time teaching my children about Christ and our response to him. In that vein, Brian Croft has a helpful blog about fathers shepherding their children.
Humility is essential for true compassion for others. If we love to be first, we simply will not show compassion toward others. With that in mind, consider Scotty Smith’s prayer for humility.
Maybe I should have called this Web Bi-weekly, but I’d lose the alliteration. Anyway, here are some highlights from the last 2-3 weeks related to living the three passions life.
First, Ray Ortlund gives another good picture of a passion for God versus idolatry.
Second, Justin Taylor notes the important distinction between loving people in abstract and really having compassion for people (and it even includes a Peanuts cartoon!)
Finally, here are a number of recommended posts about important habits of three passions living – daily prayer, worship, church, simplicity, and even an interesting discussion of modesty.
Last week was a very good and busy week of VBS at our church, so I wasn’t able to blog much. Let’s start this week with a few recommended posts to visit from around the web related to Three Passion living.
First, we start with God’s passion for us. Justin Taylor explores how Paul describes God’s grace throughout the book of Ephesians. His question at the end of his post is important for us to consider: “Do we feel, with Paul, how truly great God’s grace is?”
People are obsessed about all kinds of things in our world, but our passion should only be found in one place as Mark Altrogge reminds us.
If we are going to grow in our passion for God and compassion for people, we need to be in God’s Word. James MacDonald reminds us of some of the Bible’s vivid pictures of itself – and what they mean for us.
Brian J. Mikul 