The law could promise life to me,
If my obedience perfect be;
But grace does promise life upon
My Lord’s obedience alone.
The law says, Do, and life you’ll win;
But grace says, Live, for all is done;
The former cannot ease my grief,
The latter yields me full relief.
Ralph Erskine, 1745
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
A quick thought...
Man, it has been a while since my last post. I don't exactly know the reason for that. I suppose it's because I've tried to keep myself from being so critical all the time. I still do a lot of thinking, reading and listening but I try to glean the good things out of stuff instead of solely reading and listening to find that bad things.
I was at work yesterday and I was wearing a shirt from the FBCKM youth group. It's this years white "Amplify" t-shirt. On the front of the shirt it says amplify and there are 4 speakers. The speakers are separated and in between them it forms a cross. Pretty cool idea. On the back of the shirt in between the shoulder blades there is an oversized finger print and in the finger print there is a cross. The front of the shirt "screams" Amplify (make known) Christ. The back of the shirt though, really sticks out to me.
A fingerprint is a great form of identity. Sometimes when you cash a check they will ask you to put your fingerprint on the check. No one has a fingerprint like you. It's yours. It is the one and only. The cross in the fingerprint speaks volumes to the believer. That little symbol should remind us that our identity as a new creation is bound up in Christ. We no longer are our old self. When we are made new through the Gospel our identity isn't our old self anymore because that died with Christ. He rose from the grave and we are made new.
I also go to thinking about the symbol in a different way though. I don't know if the symbol was meant for this but I thought about it at work. Not only is your fingerprint your identity, but think about how many things you touch throughout the day. Think about all of the places that you leave your fingerprint throughout the day. Door knobs, computer buttons, hand shakes, whatever the case may be. We touch a lot of things. I felt a weight on my heart. The best thing in my life is that Christ has come into my life and changed me. That being the case, my new identity in Him is the best thing that I have to offer people. Think of how many times we have the opportunity to share the Good News with other people and leave our new "fingerprint" on someones life. Whether it be an encouraging word, or whether it be sharing the Gospel with someone.
Father, impress upon me the need to leave my "fingerprint" on the people I come in contact with. Let Your eyes be mine.
God speed,
a simple mind.
I was at work yesterday and I was wearing a shirt from the FBCKM youth group. It's this years white "Amplify" t-shirt. On the front of the shirt it says amplify and there are 4 speakers. The speakers are separated and in between them it forms a cross. Pretty cool idea. On the back of the shirt in between the shoulder blades there is an oversized finger print and in the finger print there is a cross. The front of the shirt "screams" Amplify (make known) Christ. The back of the shirt though, really sticks out to me.
A fingerprint is a great form of identity. Sometimes when you cash a check they will ask you to put your fingerprint on the check. No one has a fingerprint like you. It's yours. It is the one and only. The cross in the fingerprint speaks volumes to the believer. That little symbol should remind us that our identity as a new creation is bound up in Christ. We no longer are our old self. When we are made new through the Gospel our identity isn't our old self anymore because that died with Christ. He rose from the grave and we are made new.
I also go to thinking about the symbol in a different way though. I don't know if the symbol was meant for this but I thought about it at work. Not only is your fingerprint your identity, but think about how many things you touch throughout the day. Think about all of the places that you leave your fingerprint throughout the day. Door knobs, computer buttons, hand shakes, whatever the case may be. We touch a lot of things. I felt a weight on my heart. The best thing in my life is that Christ has come into my life and changed me. That being the case, my new identity in Him is the best thing that I have to offer people. Think of how many times we have the opportunity to share the Good News with other people and leave our new "fingerprint" on someones life. Whether it be an encouraging word, or whether it be sharing the Gospel with someone.
Father, impress upon me the need to leave my "fingerprint" on the people I come in contact with. Let Your eyes be mine.
God speed,
a simple mind.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Why I, a believer, MUST hear the Gospel.
It's been a while since I have posted. I was on my way to Roanoke the other day and I started thinking about some things from the crazy number of sermons that I listen to. It seems that the growing trend in churches is application. Sure, we believe the Bible is the truth, but we want to know how it applies to us. Which, in a certain way, is a good and healthy thing because the Bible does apply to us.
The trend that I seem to be hearing though is that a lot of sermons now, in popular mainstream churches, are ALL application ALL the time. Let me try to unpackage this a little with some examples...
1)Your children are misbehaving, follow these steps.
2)Your finances are in shambles, follow these steps.
3)Your relationships are falling apart, follow these steps.
I think you catch my drift. The problem in my mind with this is that this isn't a heart change. This isn't something that seeps down to our core and these changes aren't something that will last. This is obedience training. (As made famous by a famous pastor)
I'm not say that application teaching is bad in any way but I would like to suggest something. God demands that we love Him with all of our heart, our soul, and mind. I don't know about you but I am nowhere near the model for this. There are countless times a day when my mind strays from God, when my actions or words communicate something other than Love to someone. So how is it that I, a believer in Christ Jesus, don't do these things? Or how is that I, a believer in Christ Jesus, can learn to do these things. I would like to suggest that it isn't through spiritual obedience training, because as I said before that is usually a shallow change at best.
I believe that we, sinners that we are, can only love God with all of us, because of the penetrating power of the Gospel. That when we hear the Law of "Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind," which we can't do it's only because of the Gospel that we are able to do it at all.
When my parents ask me to do things, I don't do it because they asked. I do them because I love them, I do them because I respect and honor them. I think the same thing can be said for God, it's only when I really understand what God has done for me, and that penetrates my heart, am I able to openly and fully love Him. That is why the Gospel is so important. Good deeds are an overflow of my understand of the Love that He has shown me. Apart from the Gospel, good deeds are just a rat-wheel that I am expected to run and that isn't sustaining.
I really hope this makes sense. I know I'm not a communicator. Feel free to ask clarifying questions.
God show me how to fall in love with the Gospel,
a simple mind
The trend that I seem to be hearing though is that a lot of sermons now, in popular mainstream churches, are ALL application ALL the time. Let me try to unpackage this a little with some examples...
1)Your children are misbehaving, follow these steps.
2)Your finances are in shambles, follow these steps.
3)Your relationships are falling apart, follow these steps.
I think you catch my drift. The problem in my mind with this is that this isn't a heart change. This isn't something that seeps down to our core and these changes aren't something that will last. This is obedience training. (As made famous by a famous pastor)
I'm not say that application teaching is bad in any way but I would like to suggest something. God demands that we love Him with all of our heart, our soul, and mind. I don't know about you but I am nowhere near the model for this. There are countless times a day when my mind strays from God, when my actions or words communicate something other than Love to someone. So how is it that I, a believer in Christ Jesus, don't do these things? Or how is that I, a believer in Christ Jesus, can learn to do these things. I would like to suggest that it isn't through spiritual obedience training, because as I said before that is usually a shallow change at best.
I believe that we, sinners that we are, can only love God with all of us, because of the penetrating power of the Gospel. That when we hear the Law of "Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind," which we can't do it's only because of the Gospel that we are able to do it at all.
When my parents ask me to do things, I don't do it because they asked. I do them because I love them, I do them because I respect and honor them. I think the same thing can be said for God, it's only when I really understand what God has done for me, and that penetrates my heart, am I able to openly and fully love Him. That is why the Gospel is so important. Good deeds are an overflow of my understand of the Love that He has shown me. Apart from the Gospel, good deeds are just a rat-wheel that I am expected to run and that isn't sustaining.
I really hope this makes sense. I know I'm not a communicator. Feel free to ask clarifying questions.
God show me how to fall in love with the Gospel,
a simple mind
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