Though private prayer be a brave design,
Yet public hath more promises, more love:
And love’s a weight to hearts, to eyes a sign.
We all are but cold suitors; let us move
Where it is warmest. Leave thy six and seven;
Pray with the most: for where most pray, is heaven.
– George Herbert, The Church-Porch, 67.
“Christian man, learn to comfort yourself in God’s gracious dealing toward the Church. That which is so dear to your Master, should it not also be supremely precious to you? Although your path be dark, can you not cheer your heart with the triumphs of His cross and the spread of His truth? Our own personal troubles are forgotten while we look not only upon what God has done and is doing for Zion, but on the glorious things He will yet do for His Church. Try this approach, O believer, whenever you are sad of heart and in heaviness of spirit: Forget yourself and your little concerns, and seek the welfare and prosperity of Zion. When you kneel in prayer to God, limit not your petition to the narrow circle of your own life, tried though it be, but send out your longing prayers for the church’s prosperity. ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,’ and your own soul shall be refreshed.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
Matthew 5:45: “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on just and the unjust.”
Romans 2:4-5: “despising the riches of His goodness and long-suffering, after their hardness and impenitent heart, treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds.”
In The City of God, Book I, Chapter 8: “Of the Advantages and Disadvantages Which Often Indiscriminately Accrue to Good and Wicked Men,” Augustine builds his argument from the texts noted above, and writes, “nevertheless does the patience of God still invite the wicked to repentance, even as the scourge of God educates the good to patience….But as for the good things of this life, and its ills, God has willed that these should be common to both; that we might not too eagerly covet the things which wicked men are seen equally to enjoy, nor shrink with an unseemly fear from the ills which even good men often suffer…. For the good man is neither uplifted with the good things of time, nor broken by its ills; but the wicked man, because he is corrupted by this world’s happiness, feels himself punished by unhappiness…. Wherefore, though good and bad men suffer alike, we must not suppose that there is no difference between the men themselves, because there is no difference in what they both suffer. For even in the likeness of the sufferings, there remains an unlikeness in the sufferers; and though exposed to the same anguish, virtue and vice are not the same thing….And thus it is that in the same affliction the wicked detest God and blaspheme, while the good pray and praise. So material a difference does it make, not what ills are suffered, but what kind of man suffers them.”
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his enemies. – Psalm 112:8 (ESV).
John Calvin writes regarding this verse: “Genuine stability is that which the prophet here describes, and which consists in reposing with unshaken confidence in God. A sense of calamities, while it alarms and disconcerts the faithful, does not make them faint-hearted, because it does not shake their faith, by which they are rendered bold and steadfast. In a word, they are not insensible to their trials, but the confidence which they place in God enables them to rise above all the cares of the present life. Thus they preserve calmness and composedness of mind, and wait patiently till the fit season arrives for taking vengeance upon the reprobate.”
Last night I had the pleasure of hearing Peter Leithart give an informal lecture related to his latest book, Gratitude: An Intellectual History. During his overview of Shakespeare’s play, Coriolanus (which is referenced in the book), Dr. Leithart made the point that ingratitude creates isolation. This struck me as especially profound given that Adam’s fall in the garden can rightfully be traced to his ingratitude, which immediately resulted in isolation. Isolation from God. Isolation from Eve. Isolation from the creation that he was called to rule over and serve. Granted, the isolation was not absolute, but the isolating barrier of sin significantly complicated his relationships and calling. Ingratitude resulted in isolation for Adam, and it results in isolation for you and me today. How much of our sin is fundamentally a result of ingratitude?
The Scriptures are replete with admonitions to thanksgiving. Heavy doses are given in the Psalms and Epistles. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to be giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (5:20). This is not Paul calling believers to an unrealistic spirituality, but to the essence of spirituality. Thanksgiving is the most basic particle of the spiritual air that we are to breathe, and as it fills our lungs and readily falls from our mouths, it will keep us from a host of sins. If you find yourself in a constant state of frustration and irritability with your spouse and children, and you just want to be “alone” (read: “isolated”), then there is a good chance that you need to give thanks to the Lord for the spouse and children He has given you. What event or circumstance (for which you should be thankful, according to Paul) would you blame for your anger? When your child is ungrateful, or refuses to say “Thank you” to their sibling that has just done them a kindness, he or she is isolating themselves. Ingratitude creates isolation. Gratitude creates true fellowship and community. Take some time to examine your sins, and trace them to their core. You will likely find ingratitude at the root.
I am thoroughly enjoying Meg Meeker’s Strong Father, Strong Daughters. It is insightful, challenging, and encouraging, and I highly recommend it to fathers of daughters, regardless of their age. So, if you’re a new dad of a daughter, read this book. If you have years of experience fathering a daughter, you will still find this to be an edifying read.
I have been tweeting a few quotes over the past weeks as I have made my way through this book, but here is one that exceeds 140 characters, but is well worth sharing. In the chapter “Be the Man You Want Her to Marry,” Dr. Meeker makes this point:
You want your daughter to live freely, without fear. So show her how. Be the man you want her to marry, because chances are excellent that when she is mature, she will look for you (albeit subconsciously) in another another man. If you haven’t a clue what a good father looks like, look around and find someone who is doing it well. Then watch him, learn from him, mimic him. As you practice, you will change your daughter’s life. She will absorb who you are. And one day, she will turn around and reward you with a son-in-law you can respect.
Marc Yoder makes some excellent points in this post.
Yesterday I had just finished my workout and gone upstairs when Noah (2 yrs. old) insisted that we play “dig dirts.” I was thinking a shower took first priority, and almost told him that I would play with him after getting cleaned up, but, thankfully, acquiesced. We got out the big board with roads painted on it that was a Christmas present from his older brothers, and laid it on the carpet in the living room. Noah trooped to the den and returned with his clear, plastic container of tractors and road construction machines. The scooping and dumping began. A short while later, Noah went back to the den again, this time returning with his matching container of Legos, all of which he readily dumped out onto the board. He instructed me to make a tractor, so I did. Then he asked me to build another one, so I did again. As we were playing, Noah looked up and simply said, “I wuv you, Daddy.” I told him I loved him too, and gave him a kiss. Then he intently looked up at me again and said, “Big sqweeze?” I replied, “I would love a big squeeze.” Wrapping his arms around my neck, he made the groaning noise that comes with giving a big squeeze. Then it was back to Legos and tractors and dig dirts.
Now, I had not had a particularly hard day, but I was physically and emotionally weary, and things were weighing on my mind (as is often the case for any pastor). Noah’s unsolicited “I wuv you, Daddy” was a “word fitly spoken” (Prov. 25:11). They were “gracious words” that “are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Prov. 16;24). It quickly occurred to me that had I not stopped to play with him the moment would not have happened at all. What began as an ordinary playtime that any father and son could have shared, became an extraordinary occasion for God’s kindness. The Lord knew what I needed, and He orchestrated the instant with precision. Sometimes help comes unexpectedly. And sometimes love comes in little packages.
In light of the 41st Anniversary of Roe v Wade, and the 56 million babies that have been murdered during that time, it seems fairly natural to ask what happens to baby boys and girls when their life is aborted. As a Biblical-Calvinist-Reformed-Presbyterian-Predestinarian-Total Depravity Believing Christian, the first answer that comes to mind is, “I do not know for sure. Those are the secret things that belong to God,” as Deuteronomy 29:29 states: The secret things belong to the Lord our God....That is true enough, but then the next part of that verse declares, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. So what does God’s word further reveal? In Romans 5 Paul says, where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. I know there is a context in which that verse is given, but I simply want us to consider the nature and character of God that underlies those words. God’s favor, His grace is greater than sin. And that being true, then can we not rightly have the expectation that in the awful increase of sin that is abortion, that grace abounds more still? Surely God’s forgiving grace in the Lord Jesus Christ has come to those who are repentant of their participation in abortion in some form or fashion. If there is grace for those who knowingly murdered, can we not also conclude that there is grace for the tiny victims of murder? Now, understand and remember that I am a proponent of the doctrine of total depravity. I believe Psalm 51:5 is true. I also believe Psalm 139:13-16, and I believe that the Holy Spirit can be at work in the womb (cf. Isaiah 44:2; Jeremiah 1:5; Job 10:11; Matthew 1:18), though I can hardly explain it. So, to ask the question again, “Do aborted baby boys and girls go to heaven?” I do not know for sure, but I would not be surprised if they did, because there is a wideness to God’s mercy, for where sin increases, grace abounds all the more.
Pretty cool. A student’s answer in relation to John 10:15: “I lay down my life for the sheep” referenced Abel as tending flocks. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about Abel in Good Shepherd terms before, but it certainly makes sense. He was also a shepherd who laid down his life, though not willingly. Jesus is the Greater Abel, and not only in the terms conveyed in Hebrews 12:24. Cain murders Abel his brother. Jesus is put to death by his “brothers,” the Jews, via the Romans. BUT the significant difference is articulated by Jesus in John 10:17-18: For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
“We give thanks to Thee, O Lord, for all saints and servants of Thine, who have done justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with their God. For all the high and holy ones, who have wrought wonders and been shining lights in the world, we thank Thee. For all the meek and lowly ones, who have earnestly sought Thee in darkness, and held fast their faith in trial, and done good unto all men as they had opportunity, we thank Thee. Especially for those men and women we have known and loved, who by their patient obedience and self-denial, steadfast hope and helpfulness in trouble, have shown the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, we bless Thy holy name. As they have comforted and upheld our souls, grant us grace to follow in their steps, and at last to share with them in the inheritance of the saints in light; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.” – Book of Common Worship
A quote from Martin Luther:
In sleep all weariness is laid aside and we become cheerful again, and rise in the morning fresh and well. So shall we awake from our graves in the last day as though we had only slept at night, and bathe our eyes and rise fresh and well. Heaven and earth will be renewed, and we who believe shall be everywhere at home.