Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Gospel
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Tension
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The God Who Walks
I am reading through a new book written by Andrew Miller called God Stories. It is an examination of Scripture placing the gospel in the center of everything. It has already spoken to me through the first three chapters.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Training in Righteousness
Trained in Righteousness
The righteousness of God is our place, our position, achieved for us by the work of Jesus on the cross. There is no hope for us as men in due course to solve this equation by our own means. We puzzle over these moments in life where we believe our control mitigates a response that is worthy of the cross, yet in the end all is hopeless. When we truly achieve an understanding that the only worth is the cross itself then we can begin to unravel what being trained in righteousness really means. It is then from this place that we can begin to see outpourings.
This focus moves us towards a representation of the cross in our lives that does not merely attempt to match it in a works oriented way but instead as an identification of the image upon which we hope to emulate. This emulation is an important word because it suggests that we are attempting to identify with something that we can not become, so we can concede that the outcome won’t be perfect therefore being burdened by an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame. Yet, at the same time we acknowledge that ability to be like the one enough to attempt to join him in his death.
The good news is that we do attain this perfection at a spiritual level, even though we do not understand the complete truth that resides within us. It is locked away in the mystery that is our hearts. This heart can only be accessed through a deciphering of the word and an activation of the spirit which can occur through the power of prayer. This then leads to the outpouring of action. Thus one can conclude that being trained in righteousness, walking in the spirit, are accomplished by a meditation upon the word, and seeking out that truth that is inside of us versus “getting to work” and really manhandling the change of specific behaviors one at a time.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Tim Keller on The Key to Change Through The Gospel
"the Father accepts us in Christ and treats us as if we had done all that Jesus has done (cf. Col 3:2a). But this also means Christ’s life comes into us by the Spirit and shapes us into a new kind of person. The gospel is not just a truth about us that we affirm with our minds, it is also a reality we must experience in our hearts and souls."
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Top Five Commentary List
Another Reason to Blog
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
What is the Gospel? -- RC Sproul
Monday, July 6, 2009
PCA Deacon Issue
The Necklace of God (1 Peter 1:3-5)
Mercy, Hope, Inheritance, God's Power, Faith, and Salvation are the words used by Peter at the beginning of his letter to the churches in Asia Minor. He uses these words and is drawn to worship because of them. He treats these words like a quarry and draws his listeners to begin mining from the riches of God that he has lavished on us. I am encouraged greatly by the words of Spurgeon who reflected on the great mines of 1 Peter 1:3-5:
In these three verses we have a string of pearls, a necklace of diamonds, a cabinet of jewels—no, the comparisons are poor—we have something far better than all the riches of the earth can ever typify. You have here the heritage of the chosen of God. Your heritage, Beloved, your own peculiar portion if you belong to Christ this day. ~ Charles Spurgeon