Luke 11:27-28 NASB
"While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which you nursed.' But He said, 'On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
Luke 12:35-48 NASB
"Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.
Peter said, 'Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?' And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Religious Affections
Sit under this for a bit. It is from Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards.
"When there are many probable appearances of piety in others, it is the duty of the saints to receive them cordially into their charity, and to love them and rejoice in them, as their brethren in Christ Jesus. But yet the best of men may be deceived when the appearances seem to them exceeding fair and bright, even so as entirely to gain their charity and conquer their hearts. It has been a common thing in the church of God for such bright professors, that are received as eminent saints among the saints, to fall away and come to nothing. And this we need not wonder at, if we consider the things that have been already observed (earlier in the book) what things it has been shown may appear in men who are altogether graceless. Nothing hinders but all these things may meet together in men, and yet they be without a spark of grace in their hearts. They may have religious affections of many kinds together; they may have a sort of affection towards God, that bears a great resemblance of dear love to Him; and so a kind of love to the brethren, and great appearances of admiration of God's perfections and works, and sorrow for sin, and reverence, submission, self-abasement, gratitude, joy, religious longings, and zeal for religion and the good of souls. And these affections may come after great awakenings and convictions of conscience; and there may be great appearances of a work of humiliation. Counterfeit love and joy, and other affections, may seem to follow one another, just in the same order that is commonly observable in the holy affections of true converts. And these religious affections may be carried to a great height, and may cause abundance of tears, yea, may overcome the nature of those who are the subjects of them, and may make them affectionate, and fervent, and fluent in speaking of the things of God, and dispose them to be abundant in it; and may be attended with many sweet texts of Scripture and precious promises, brought with great impression on their minds; and may dispose them with their mouths to praise and glorify God in a very ardent manner, and fervently to call upon others to praise Him, exclaiming against their unworthiness, and extolling free grace. They may, moreover, dispose them to abound in the external duties of religion, such as prayer, hearing the word preached, singing, and religious conference; and these things may be attended with a great resemblance of a Christian assurance in its greatest height, when the saints mount on eagles' wings above all darkness and doubting. I think it has been made plain that there may be all these things, and yet there be nothing more than the common influences of the Spirit of God, joined with the delusions of Satan and a wicked and deceitful heart. To which I may add, that all these things may be attended with a sweet natural temper, and a good doctrinal knowledge of religion, and a long acquaintance with the saints' way of talking, and of expressing their affections and experiences, and a natural ability and subtlety in accommodating their expressions and manner of speaking to the dispositions and notions of the hearers, with a taking decency of expression and behaviour formed by a good education. How great therefore may the resemblance be, as to all outward expressions and appearances, between a hypocrite and a true saint! Doubtless it is the glorious prerogative of the omniscient God, as the great Searcher of hearts, to be able well to separate between sheep and goats. And what an indecent self-exaltation and arrogance it is, in poor fallible dark mortals, to pretend that they can determine and know who are really sincere and upright before God and who are not!"
"When there are many probable appearances of piety in others, it is the duty of the saints to receive them cordially into their charity, and to love them and rejoice in them, as their brethren in Christ Jesus. But yet the best of men may be deceived when the appearances seem to them exceeding fair and bright, even so as entirely to gain their charity and conquer their hearts. It has been a common thing in the church of God for such bright professors, that are received as eminent saints among the saints, to fall away and come to nothing. And this we need not wonder at, if we consider the things that have been already observed (earlier in the book) what things it has been shown may appear in men who are altogether graceless. Nothing hinders but all these things may meet together in men, and yet they be without a spark of grace in their hearts. They may have religious affections of many kinds together; they may have a sort of affection towards God, that bears a great resemblance of dear love to Him; and so a kind of love to the brethren, and great appearances of admiration of God's perfections and works, and sorrow for sin, and reverence, submission, self-abasement, gratitude, joy, religious longings, and zeal for religion and the good of souls. And these affections may come after great awakenings and convictions of conscience; and there may be great appearances of a work of humiliation. Counterfeit love and joy, and other affections, may seem to follow one another, just in the same order that is commonly observable in the holy affections of true converts. And these religious affections may be carried to a great height, and may cause abundance of tears, yea, may overcome the nature of those who are the subjects of them, and may make them affectionate, and fervent, and fluent in speaking of the things of God, and dispose them to be abundant in it; and may be attended with many sweet texts of Scripture and precious promises, brought with great impression on their minds; and may dispose them with their mouths to praise and glorify God in a very ardent manner, and fervently to call upon others to praise Him, exclaiming against their unworthiness, and extolling free grace. They may, moreover, dispose them to abound in the external duties of religion, such as prayer, hearing the word preached, singing, and religious conference; and these things may be attended with a great resemblance of a Christian assurance in its greatest height, when the saints mount on eagles' wings above all darkness and doubting. I think it has been made plain that there may be all these things, and yet there be nothing more than the common influences of the Spirit of God, joined with the delusions of Satan and a wicked and deceitful heart. To which I may add, that all these things may be attended with a sweet natural temper, and a good doctrinal knowledge of religion, and a long acquaintance with the saints' way of talking, and of expressing their affections and experiences, and a natural ability and subtlety in accommodating their expressions and manner of speaking to the dispositions and notions of the hearers, with a taking decency of expression and behaviour formed by a good education. How great therefore may the resemblance be, as to all outward expressions and appearances, between a hypocrite and a true saint! Doubtless it is the glorious prerogative of the omniscient God, as the great Searcher of hearts, to be able well to separate between sheep and goats. And what an indecent self-exaltation and arrogance it is, in poor fallible dark mortals, to pretend that they can determine and know who are really sincere and upright before God and who are not!"
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Oh Sweet!
They are doing Stranger Than Fiction Friday. Two of my favorite movies of last year. These people are on to something at Mars Hill. Pretty shrewd those folk. Indeed. I absolutely love movies. I do.
Film and Theology-The Prestige
This is an awesome audio clip from Mars Hill. This pastor from Mars Hill was touched by the Prestige in the same way I was. Film is subjective, but he really gets it! And if you do, there is much to think about in the Prestige.
I have this idea that everyone watches movies in this way, and yet I don't think most people do. What a fun, engaging talk.
The Prestige was never about the ending. It's about the ideas underneath. But no matter what you thought about the movie, his words on film and theology at the beginning are cool.
Sorry, as I write this, I'm listening, and I just jumped in the air, and clapped my hands in glee. I see why I love this movie so much. Even more than I initially thought. It encapsulates so much of my sin.
Wow. Oh goodness. I didn't even pick up this: "Even manipulating your own diary to fool yourself." Nice. What a great movie, and a beautiful message.
Check it out here.
I have this idea that everyone watches movies in this way, and yet I don't think most people do. What a fun, engaging talk.
The Prestige was never about the ending. It's about the ideas underneath. But no matter what you thought about the movie, his words on film and theology at the beginning are cool.
Sorry, as I write this, I'm listening, and I just jumped in the air, and clapped my hands in glee. I see why I love this movie so much. Even more than I initially thought. It encapsulates so much of my sin.
Wow. Oh goodness. I didn't even pick up this: "Even manipulating your own diary to fool yourself." Nice. What a great movie, and a beautiful message.
Check it out here.
Day By Day
As a heads up, if you want a blessing, head over to P to the Likens blog. It's quite a project he has going over there. It's full of blessed transparency, thoughtful insight, and organized messages for knowing more of God. It's a blessing to see all the Lord is doing in Philip's life.
The Lost, The Poor, The Homeless
In reading Ephesians, God sent me to Isaiah, and into a passage I could not shake:
Isaiah 58:6-12
"Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from
your own flesh?
Then your light will break out
like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily
spring forth;
And your righteousness will go
before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say,
'Here I am'
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and
speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the
hungry
And satisfy the desire of the
afflicted,
Then your light will rise in
darkness
And your gloom will become like
midday.
And the Lord will continually
guide you,
And satisfy your desire in
scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered
garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you will rebuild
the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old
foundations;
And you will be called the
repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in
which to dwell."
So many, many things in that.
When I fast, why do I do it? For what? Is it to loosen the bonds of wickedness? Is it to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke, or just most of them? Even if I leave one yoke, I am in bondage I should not be in. And what about this: Is it to divide my bread with the hungry? Is is to bring the homeless poor into my house, to clothe the naked, and not to hide from my own flesh?
Ha! I don't think so. Here it is, laid out: I just don't have an overwhelming heart for the lost. I don't. And that leaves me with this: Where is the fruit? Why don't I have a burden for the poor? I'm so content with my happy life, I leave no room for others. If I do, it is for my closest friends, not those who I don't know. This is just the complete truth of my life right now. I cannot sugarcoat it.
So, I am begging God to give me a heart for the lost. As I wrestle, I come face to face with this absence of love in my life.
But what if I fast for these things? What if I beg God for these things? Isaiah says things that I cannot comprehend with my mind. Earth shattering, glorious, beautiful, redemptive blessings.
"Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily
spring forth;
And your righeousness will go before you;
THE GLORY OF THE LORD WILL BE YOUR REAR GUARD. (my emphasis)
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say,
'Here I am."
Hahaha...that just makes me giddy. The Glory of the Lord will by my rear guard? Talk about an action hero. Ya'll just wait until I get that backup. Wow. I will cry, and He will hear me. Mercy. Amazing.
What about this: What if I stop pointing my finger at outside circumstances and people? What if I remove the yoke of the passive heart from my midst? What if what flows out of my heart is not wickedness, but, "good treasure." (Matt. 12:34-35/Matt. 15:15-20)
What if God rips my reliance on people and things away from me with the sweetest mercy in the world, and bends my knees so that I can rest my head in his lap?
What if through this fasting, the Lord has me give myself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted?
"Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
And the Lord will continually
guide you,
And satisfy your desire in
scorched places, (Wow!)
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered
garden,
And like a spring of water whose
waters do not fail."
Please. Please do this work Father. Oh, what language God uses through His prophet Isaiah! He will satisfy my desire in scorched places? Thank you merciful Father, thank you. All those burnt desires in my soul--the desires in film, in love, in people--they will be satisfied by God for His purposes, and for His glory! Haha...wow.
What a change this would be. I am begging God for it to happen. Please, Father.
Isaiah 58:6-12
"Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from
your own flesh?
Then your light will break out
like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily
spring forth;
And your righteousness will go
before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say,
'Here I am'
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and
speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the
hungry
And satisfy the desire of the
afflicted,
Then your light will rise in
darkness
And your gloom will become like
midday.
And the Lord will continually
guide you,
And satisfy your desire in
scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered
garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you will rebuild
the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old
foundations;
And you will be called the
repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in
which to dwell."
So many, many things in that.
When I fast, why do I do it? For what? Is it to loosen the bonds of wickedness? Is it to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke, or just most of them? Even if I leave one yoke, I am in bondage I should not be in. And what about this: Is it to divide my bread with the hungry? Is is to bring the homeless poor into my house, to clothe the naked, and not to hide from my own flesh?
Ha! I don't think so. Here it is, laid out: I just don't have an overwhelming heart for the lost. I don't. And that leaves me with this: Where is the fruit? Why don't I have a burden for the poor? I'm so content with my happy life, I leave no room for others. If I do, it is for my closest friends, not those who I don't know. This is just the complete truth of my life right now. I cannot sugarcoat it.
So, I am begging God to give me a heart for the lost. As I wrestle, I come face to face with this absence of love in my life.
But what if I fast for these things? What if I beg God for these things? Isaiah says things that I cannot comprehend with my mind. Earth shattering, glorious, beautiful, redemptive blessings.
"Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily
spring forth;
And your righeousness will go before you;
THE GLORY OF THE LORD WILL BE YOUR REAR GUARD. (my emphasis)
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say,
'Here I am."
Hahaha...that just makes me giddy. The Glory of the Lord will by my rear guard? Talk about an action hero. Ya'll just wait until I get that backup. Wow. I will cry, and He will hear me. Mercy. Amazing.
What about this: What if I stop pointing my finger at outside circumstances and people? What if I remove the yoke of the passive heart from my midst? What if what flows out of my heart is not wickedness, but, "good treasure." (Matt. 12:34-35/Matt. 15:15-20)
What if God rips my reliance on people and things away from me with the sweetest mercy in the world, and bends my knees so that I can rest my head in his lap?
What if through this fasting, the Lord has me give myself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted?
"Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
And the Lord will continually
guide you,
And satisfy your desire in
scorched places, (Wow!)
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered
garden,
And like a spring of water whose
waters do not fail."
Please. Please do this work Father. Oh, what language God uses through His prophet Isaiah! He will satisfy my desire in scorched places? Thank you merciful Father, thank you. All those burnt desires in my soul--the desires in film, in love, in people--they will be satisfied by God for His purposes, and for His glory! Haha...wow.
What a change this would be. I am begging God for it to happen. Please, Father.
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