Fix Our Hearts Where True Joys Are Found

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen (Book of Common Prayer).

Is Our Focus Inward or Upward?

This is good:

"I'm not saying the the Christian life will be effortless; the real question if Where are we focusing our efforts? Are we working hard to perform? Or are we working hard to rest in Christ's performance for us?" -Tullian Tchividjian

"The heart of sanctification is the life which feeds on justification." -G. C. Berkhouwer

Merry Christmas!

Thank God he came to save us. Without the incarnation of Jesus, our situation would be hopeless. 

Tullian Tchividjian: Substance and Shadows

In the Old Testament. God had revealed himself through types and shadows, through promises and prophecies. In the New Testament, God reveals himself in Jesus - who's the substance of every shadow and fulfillment of every promise and prophecy.

Odd Thomas: The Incarnation

Humbled By the Law, Healed By the Gospel

Over the last few weeks I have been putting my thoughts together in preparation to share my testimony at church. It’s a true honor to (hopefully) bring God glory through my shame, but at the same time it has been extremely humbling to have to rehash and articulate my selfishness once more.

As I think about what I am going to say in my testimony, I am reminded of what a wicked sinner that I truly was and am in comparison to a holy God. The more that I learn about Jesus the dirtier I look and feel.

I was and am a sinner. I cannot excuse it, I cannot ignore it, and I cannot escape it. I will sin. You will sin. It is who we are. We were born sinners. Our only hope is a that a hero arrive to save us. Our only hope is Jesus.

I am convinced as I write this post that God wants me to be broken and in a state of mourning over my sin. Then, he wants me to look up from my agony and shame to behold his intoxicating beauty and sinless perfection while I anxiously await the day that he will relieve me of my struggles and wipe the tears from my eyes. He wants me to admit my need of him, and then fall back into his loving arms of grace - To be broken by the law, then healed by the balm of the gospel. I thank God that there is a gospel of grace to run to in my hour of need. I thank God for the cross; it is my only hope. 

"Christianity is not the movement from vice to virtue, its the movement from virtue to grace." - Gerhard Forde

Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration

This is a good conversation on how we can share our faith. HT: Z

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:9-10

Jack Miller: When God Chooses to Work

God's work begins when ours comes to its end.

Sometimes His presence is not felt with power through our methods however useful they may be, especially when we are confident we have the right approach and insights. God has a way of wanting to be God and refusing to get too involved where we have our own wisdom and strength. Then when we run out of wisdom and strength, He is suddenly present, a lesson I find myself relearning practically every day that I am in my right mind. (On my crazy days I am not ready to learn much!)

I think He wants our confidence to be exclusively in Him, and when we lose our self-confidence then He moves in to show what He can do. Perhaps self-dependence--and forgetting the strength to be found in Christ-dependence--is always our biggest blind spot. There is also presumption and pride that go with self-reliance. via Dane Ortlund

Can I Be Honest?

This has been a crazy year for me; full of high mountaintop experiences, and depressingly low valleys. It feels like the more that God opens my eyes to his grace, the more challenges come my way. 

God obviously wants me to grow in my pursuit of him. So, he has allowed challenges to come into my life to teach me that I need him every single second. 

Now that I think about it, how dare I ever assume otherwise! What arrogance to think that I can do this life without the sustaining love and guiding hand of the creator of life. What a fool I have been.

So, let me admit to him right now as well as to you, my readers, that I can't do this anymore. I can't go on living without fully relying on Jesus Christ. I can't take another breath without God's grace sustaining me.

I pray that he will be strong in my weakness, and that his awesome name will be praised in my brokenness.

Father, I am nothing without you. I need you. I desperately need you.

Tim Keller: The Difference Between Christianity and Religion

"The essence of other religions is advice; Christianity is essentially news.  Other religions say, “This is what you have to do in order to connect to God forever; this is how you have to live in order to earn your way to God.”  But the gospel says, “This is what has been done in history.  This is how Jesus lived and died to earn the way to God for you.” Christianity is completely different.  It’s joyful news.” HT: SomewhereNorth

Where sin increased, grace increased all the more. Rom. 5:20

Tullian Tchividjian: Christian Growth

"Christian growth is not becoming stronger and stronger, more and more competent. Christian growth and progress is marked by a growing realization of just how weak and incompetent we are and how strong and competent Jesus continues to be for us. Spiritual maturity is not marked by our growing, independent fitness. Rather, it’s marked by our growing dependence on Christ’s fitness for us." Amen!

“Many pulpits across the land consistently preach the Christian and not the Christ.” Todd Wilken

Free Kindle Book: The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul.

The Holiness of God, Dr. Sproul’s classic introduction to the majestic character of God, is now free on the Amazon Kindle store for a limited time.

Download it here.

Discipleship: Timeless, Tested, and Mandated

HT: Timmy Brister

I Need You: A Prayer of Brokenness

Who am I? I am a nobody. I am here today, gone tomorrow; just another dude with a blog. There are millions of me out there.

But He is everything. He is worth more than life itself. He is eternal. He creates and sustains all things by His mere words. He saves sinners just like me - and I need Him. I need Him desperately.

I need Him right now, as I am typing, I need Jesus. I need His grace to fall fresh on me. I need His love to get me through another challenging day. I need the euphoric rush of knowing that I am united with Christ, all of my sins are forgiven, and His perfect record is mine. I need Him, oh how I need Him.
    
Father, open my eyes today to see your glory. Reassure me of your ridiculous love for such a wicked man. Dazzle me with your beauty. Remind me of how your son walked out of the grave - I do love that story. Draw my eyes to Calvary, then catch me as I fall into your arms again.
    
I come before you broken and weak, as usual, and I ask for your healing and mercy. My heart craves your presence and it yearns to flutter once again at the thought of your scandalous, self-sacrificing love towards an undeserving idolater.
    
I beg you to show me your grace once more so that I may find restoration in the midst of my brokenness, comfort in the midst of my pain, worship in the midst of my self-centered pity, and forgiveness in the midst of my sinful existence.