Tag: Obedience

Saturday Strands

On By BrianIn Saturday Strands1 Comment

Here are some loose strands from various places for your growth:

How to Draw Near to God: Learning Prayer from the Puritans – Jeremy Walker (DG)
As we listen to Puritan and Puritanesque praying, putting our ears to their doors, what do we hear? What can we seek to imitate?

Radical Christian Gentleness in an Era of Addictive Outrage – George Marsden (TGC)
…we live in an age when social media puts an immense premium on cultivating anger and indignation. We’re experiencing a pandemic of addictive outrage that spreads uncontrollably on the internet. Polarized political hostilities have made the situation worse, and Christians of all sorts, whether on the right or left, are hardly immune.

Are You a “Yeah, But…” Christian? – Tim Challies
I have long observed a fascinating but concerning tendency when I read one of the Bible’s clear commands. I have observed it in myself and I have observed it in others. It’s the tendency to turn quickly from what the Bible does command to what it does not, from the plainest sense of one of God’s directions to a list of exceptions or exclusions. It’s the tendency to hear what God says and immediately reply, “Yeah, but…”

The Spiritual Promise the Cinema Can’t Deliver – Trevin Wax
All this is spiritual language. When the lights dim, spiritual illumination begins. All this is tapping into the deepest longings of humanity—for connection, for growth, for inspiration, and for stories that bring resolution.

Flashback: The Savior’s Example
If you think him a harsh taskmaster, then that is how you will treat others. But if we grasp that Jesus is gentle towards us – if we rest in his gentle heart, then we can learn from him and share his gentleness with those around us.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

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!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

4 Ways To Pray – Tim Challies

22 Benefits of Meditating on Scripture – Justin Taylor

Our Everyday Obedience Is Our Best Witness – J. D. Greear

Worship Is More Important Than Your Small Group – Jason Helopoulos

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day gathered together to worship with your local church!

Costly Obedience

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah

The Lord GOD has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
– Isaiah 50:5-6

These verses speak of the Servant of the Lord. He would obey God even to the point of suffering. And we know that the Servant is Jesus whose back was lashed, whose beard was pulled out, whose face was spit upon. As Philippians 2:8 tells us, he was obedient to the Father even to the point of death on the cross.

What about us? Are we willing to obey even to the point of suffering? Will we obey God even when it is hard, when it hurts? Will we obey even when we don’t feel like it? Will we obey even when it hits our pocketbook, intrudes on our free time, or crosses our comfort zone?

Jesus obeyed to the point of death, giving us an example of costly obedience. And he calls us to follow in his steps.

And yet on the other side of the cross, Jesus was and is exalted above every other name. On the other side of the suffering came great blessing. And so it is for us. Obedience may bring suffering for a time, but blessing follows close behind.

So let us obey regardless of the cost, setting our gaze on the blessings yet to come.