Lost in King Jesus

A song from Bob Kauflin (Sovereign Grace Ministries). That is my prayer for today, that I be lost to myself and found in Jesus. This song left me speechless, literally...

Some wise words...

Whilst reading Saint Augustine's confessions I stumbled upon this very interesting passage which really stirred me to think. He is talking about the years of learning he underwent which proved empty and useless in coming closer to the truth he so longed for....

''None of this is contained within the Platonists' books. Their pages have not the mien of the true love of God. They make no mention of the tears of confession or the sacrifice you will never disdain, or a broken spirit, a heart that is humbled and contrite, nor do they speak of the Salvation of your people, a city adorned like a bride, the foretaste of your spirit, or the chalice of our redemption. In them no one sings No rest has my soul but in God's hands. To him I look for deliverance; I have no other stronghold; no other delievring that him, safe in his protection, I fear no deadly fall. In them no one listens to the voice which says come to me all you that labour. They disdain his teaching because he is gentle and humble of heart. For you have hidden all this from the wise and revealed it to the children.''

I found this such a refreshing and marvellous truth. Augustine was an incredibly learned and scholarly man who dedicated his life to love of knowledge, but here he proclaims whole heartedly that the wisdom of men is but foolishness to God. Indeed to understand spiritual things we must put on the Spirit of Christ, for who can know the mind of God without the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12 says 'We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.' Let us clothe ourselves with the Spirit of Christ Jesus and become like little children, we may be ridiculed by men but we are living from something gerater than the praise of men, we are living for the words 'well done my good and faithful servant' (Matthew 25:21).

Calvin's porch

The other day I was talking with a close friend of mine, and some how or another we ended up talking about 5 point Calvinism. I argued (as a joke) that you could apply the same principal to many everyday tasks...for example, sanding a cedar wood porch. Here goes...

1/ This cedar wood porch porch is Total Depraved. There is nothing this porch can do to improve itself...

2/ Out of my mercy (and love for power tools) I have unconditionally elected to transform the cedar wood porch into something new and beautiful once again. By my own judgement and choice I have predestined the porch for transformation...

3/ The sanding process it limited (atonement) by my prior choice and sovereign judgement; the redemptive nature of my power sander is extended to no other part of the house unless I so choose to do so....

4/ If I so choose to redeem my porch by sanding it, and transforming it, there is nothing the porch can do to resist my effort. It cannot overcome in anyway the irresistible grace of my black and decker power sander...

5/ No matter how dirty or weathered the porch becomes after I transformed, there is nothing the porch can do to reverse the transformation process. The porch will perservere in it's transformation.


All joking aside...praise God for his unconditional election and his sovereign grace in allowing me to be adopted into his family. As Spurgeon says...'I thank God everyday for choosing me, for if he hadn't I am certain I would not have chosen him.'

To the Sojourner

Sojourner don't you realise you died along time ago, you have a new life now do not forget, it is crucial that you take hold of this fact! Now, Sojourner take comfort in the fact that you are merely caught up in the transiency of your current experience. Sojourner when the troubles and uncertainties of life mount up against you, hold steadfast to the certainty that there is more to life than what you are going through at the present.

Sojourner it is important you set your gaze on heaven, this is where your true spiritual home is, you are seated here already with your Father. Sojourner do not waste your time acquiring earthly treasure, it is far too fickle and fleeting for you. Sojourner do you not realise that when your Father chose you, when he set you apart and plucked you out, he set aside a glorious inheritance far greater than any earthly prize. Sojourner set your eyes and your heart on heaven because this is where your God is. Sojourner, one day will serve him, praise him, enjoy him and commune with him, live every waking moment in confidence of this wonderful truth and certainty.

Never forget the 'Memories of the future' (Anotine Dufour).

05 - Staying Spiritually Refreshed

The next pothole is that of the 999 Theologian. This person's spiritual life focusses around a personal crisis; they call out to God in only the deepest sense of trouble. This person has an underlying understanding of God, but has chosen to exclude Him from the everyday routine of their life. This person is far from leading a consistent Christian walk, their life is riddled with spiritual high points and many spiritual low points.

The call of Jesus on our lives is radically different to the person described above. We are called to be radically counter cultural, to swim against the common agenda, to be a disciple in the fullest sense of the word. In Luke 9:23 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.' A disciple is therefore characterised by 'self denial' and 'following'.

Some people may think that denying yourself and following Jesus are two separate activities, as if they could follow Jesus without denying themself; however this is not the case. If we carry out the former 'denial process' will we find success in the latter 'following process.' If you lose sight yourself, you will gain sight of Jesus. If you disown yourself, you will gain an inheritance in the heavenely places. If you give up yourself, you will gain Jesus Christ in your heart. If you forget yourself, Jesus will never forget you on the final day.

I hope you enjoy this song by Matthew West...is Jesus Christ everything you live for?

04 - Staying Spiritually Refreshed

The pot hole of spiritual friendlessness is an all to common one in the modern church. The friendless person has realised the importance of a personal relationship with God, but turned their faith into a wholly private endeavour. The friendless person is the bitter person who perhaps has had wrong done by them, but not learnt to forgive. Similarly the friendless person may be afraid of sharing themselves with others because they are ashamed of the past or their own sin.

The Bible teaches something very different from this, we are called as regenerated Christians to be 'living stones' part of the living Temple of God. 1 Peter 2 gives us a good insight into this idea...Peter exhorts us in the first three verses to grow spiritually, that we might 'crave spiritual milk.' Similarly that we may 'rid ourselves malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander or every kind.'

How do we do this? Peter immediately goes onto say in verse 5...'you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.' To grow spiritually and to rid ourselves of slander, malice and hypocrisy, is to realise you are part of a royal priesthood, a Holy Temple...and that Holy Temple is our lives as the body of Christ.

1 John proves says...'but if we are living in the light, as God's in the light, the we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all Sin.' (1 John 1:7). Furthermore John reminds us of Jesus' commandment to love one another (1 John 2:7 - 8) and goes onto say, 'Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not causes other to stumble. But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness' (1 John 2:10 - 11). As a body of Christ let us live in the light of Jesus Christ, not causing one another to stumble but building one another up and encouraging one another in the faith. Let us learn to love the church and the body of believers, that we may grow spiritually, and that we may grow in love for one another also. To love one another is to love God, not to do so is to live unrighteously and to deny God ( 1 John 3:10).

We must learn to love the body, build up the body, encourage the body, protect the body and serve the body.

03 - Staying Spiritually Refreshed

The pothole of spiritual pride is a dangerous one to find yourself in, indeed Lewis comments that 'pride leads to every other vice, it is the complete anti God state of mind.' Pride is the person who is always critical of others, refusing to learn and take advice from those around him. The Psalmist comments 'in his pride the wicked does not seek him, in all his thoughts there is no room for God' (Psalm 10:4). Pride is the person who is obsessed with comparing himself with others. The proud person gets no pleasure from having something, except that he has more of it than the next man. The pharisees Jesus confronted in the Bible were the epitome of pride.

Humility is the antithesis to pride, Jesus teaches that 'everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled, but he who humbles themself will be exalted' (Luke 18:14). Humilty comes upon us whilst we are unaware, it is only visible for others to see; humility does not seek itself, furthermore it remains invisible to itself. Richard Foster says 'the more you seek humility, the more distant it will seem.'

Humility can be attained through service...service smashest pride in two. Peter instructs us to 'offer hospitality to one another, without grumbling' (1 Peter 4:9). Jesus Christ, the epicentre of all redemptive history, gives us the greatest example of humility...he came not to be served but to serve himself (Mark 10:45). Through service we die to ourselves and our own desires a little more each time, we experience 'many little deaths.' Those in the service industry are those in society who are despised and treated with the most contempt, the cashiers on the check out, the people who collect your trash each week or the people who serve you dinner. To serve others without reward or personal gain is to be therefore, radically counter cultural.

Humility is something to be practised each and every day. Peter Reid comments 'the surest road to spiritual greatness is that of humility, but it the road least taken.' Which road are you going to take?