It is time to ponder some new year’s resolutions! Here are some good posts as you reflect upon your life this past year, and how God might be leading you to grow in 2016:
Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year – Donald Whitney
One Big Tip to Make Your Resolutions Stick – Tim Challies
Striving for a More Intentional Life of Prayer – Erik Raymond
The Church Comes First – Nick Batzig
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
You Just Need To Obey – Steve Lawson (Ligonier)
For all true followers of Christ, obedience is never peripheral. At the heart of what it means to be a disciple of our Lord is living in loving devotion to God. But if such love is real, the acid test is obedience.
What Your Complaining Says About God – Philip Graham Ryken (Crossway)
It is really important to recognize that all of our complaining is ultimately directed against God, whether we mention him specifically in our complaints or not. All of our complaining goes to him; he is the great God. He is the one who exercises his sovereignty over whatever happens. So all of our complaints go right to the top.
Patience Is Not Optional for the Christian – Albert Mohler (Ligonier)
Patience is not optional for the Christian. The apostle Paul repeatedly commanded Christians to demonstrate patience to each other. In fact, this is a critical test of Christian authenticity. True Christian character, the very evidence of regeneration, is seen in authentic patience.
A Powerful Practice for Prayer – Tim Challies
There is one practice I find myself working on these days more than any other, and I think it may be the most important of them all. It is a simple one: Never resist the least urge to pray.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
This is the holy reasoning of love; it draws no license from grace, but rather feels the strong constraints of gratitude leading it to holiness.
– Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Father, you have opened our blinded eyes that we might see you and know you, but too often our eyes are sleepy when it comes to your spiritual blessings. So open our eyes that we might grasp the ramifications of your great salvation for us. Open our eyes that we might live out the blessings that we have in Christ. May your Spirit enlighten the eyes of our hearts with wisdom to understand and live out the revelation of the gospel that you have given to us.
Open our eyes to know you in an intimate, experiential, life-impacting way. To grow in our personal relationship with you. To commune with you more and more – listening to you as you speak to us in your Word, and responding to you in prayer. Open our eyes to know you better.
Open our eyes to know in an intimate, experiential, life-impacting way the hope of your calling to us. To grasp the incredible inheritance that you have for your children. To cling to the hope of our own resurrection that we might dwell with you forever and ever. And to live in response to this hope in the midst of the struggles of life. Open our eyes to this great hope.
Open our eyes to know in an intimate, experiential, life-impacting way the riches of your inheritance in us. To grasp the wonder of being your own people, your own inheritance. To cling to the reality of your delight in us, desire for us, love for us, care for us – not because we are so great, but because of your incredible love. And to live each day in response to your amazing love for us no matter what others may think of us. Open our eyes to your great love.
Open our eyes to know in an intimate, experiential, life-impacting way the greatness of your power toward us. To grasp the immeasurable greatness of your power, your great might working in us. To cling to this same power toward us that raised Jesus from the dead and placed him above every other power. And to live each day in response to your mighty power toward us which is greater than anything that can come against us. Open our eyes to your great power.
Open our eyes to know you, to know this hope, to know this love, to know this power in an intimate, experiential, life-impacting way. Open our eyes, O God, open our eyes.
(Inspired by Ephesians 1:16-20)
The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps constant communion with Him will see many reason for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long.
– Warren Wiersbe
Here are some good posts for your Thanksgiving:
But Where Are The Nine? – Kevin DeYoung
Six Ways to Cultivate Thankfulness and Joy – Mark Altrogge (TBC)
Thank You, Father – John Piper (DG)
An Ancient Prayer of Thanksgiving – Kevin DeYoung
Give thanks to God for each other
For our faith in Jesus
For our love for one another
Give thanks and praise Jesus
(To the tune of “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing”)
Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world:
It is not he who prays most or fasts most,
it is not he who gives most alms
or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice;
but it is he who is always thankful to God,
who wills everything that God wills,
who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness
and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.
– William Law
God never commanded us to go save the world for Him;
He calls us to follow Him as he saves the world through us.
– J. D. Greear in Table Talk
– Charles Spurgeon
