Quote for the day

If the cross be the mere exhibition of self-sacrifice and patient meekness, then the hope of the world is gone.
~Horatius Bonar, The Everlasting Righteousness, p.99

What I'm Reading

In his book on the armor of God from Ephesians 6, Iain Duguid begins by discussing the great need we have for fighting the darkness around us in more than our own strength: we are so weak and the darkness is so great.  I loved this way of summing up the problem:

Of course, adding to the imbalance in this wrestling match is the fact that although our opponents are not flesh and blood, we are.  We are not principalities and powers or cosmic rulers but ordinary, flawed, fallen, flesh-and-blood mortals.  You might think we have no business engaging in this combat; in the language of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, it is hobbits against orcs, an unequal contest.  Yet this is exactly the battle in which we are engaged. Serving in the Lord's army is not an option reserved for those particularly devoted to God.  The choice is not whether you will be a Christian soldier or a Christian civilian but whether you will be a prepared soldier or an unprepared one.  And an unprepared soldier of flesh and blood will not be able to stand against the scale of the spiritual forces ranged against him or her.
~Iain M. Duguid, The Whole Armor of God: How Christ's Victory Strengthens Us for Spiritual Warfare, p.12

What I'm reading: Faith

"...For faith is no work, nor merit, nor effort; but the cessation from all these, and the acceptance in place of them of what another has done,-- done completely, and forever.  The simplest, feeblest faith suffices; for it is not the excellence of our act of faith that does aught for us, but the excellencies of Him who suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.  His perfection suffices to cover not only that which is imperfect in our characters and lives, but that which is imperfect in our faith, when we believe on His name."
~Hoatius Bonar, The Everlasting Righteousness, pp.74-75

Not the faith, but its object

"What should we have said to the Israelite, who, on bringing his lamb to the tabernacle, should puzzle himself with questions as to the right mode of laying his hands on the head of the victim, and who should refuse to take any comfort from the sacrifice, because he was not sure whether he had laid them aright;--  on the proper place, in the right direction, with adequate pressure, or in the best attitude?  Should we not have told him that his own actings concerning the lamb were not the lamb, and yet that he was speaking as if they were? Should we not have told him that the lamb was everything, his touch nothing, as to virtue or merit or recommendation? Should we not have told him to be of good cheer; not because he had laid his hands on the victim in the most approved fashion, but because they had touched that victim, however lightly and imperfectly, and therefore said, 'Let this lamb stand for me, die for me'? ...The point for him was not, was my touch right or wrong, light or heave, but, was it the touch of the right lamb, the lamb appointed by God for the taking away of sin?...The quality or quantity of faith is not the main question for the sinner..."
~Horatius Bonar, The Everlasting Righteousness, pp.24-25

A resolution

Today I ran across this reminder in the introduction to J. C. Ryle's book entitled Holiness:

Worldly people sometimes complain with reason that “religious” persons, so-called, are not so amiable, and unselfish, and good-natured, as others who make no profession of religion. Yet sanctification, in its place and proportion, is quite as important as justification. Sound Protestant and evangelical doctrine is useless if it is not accompanied by a holy life. It is worse than useless: it does positive harm. It is despised by keen-sighted and shrewd men of the world, as an unreal and hollow thing, and brings religion into contempt.

Perhaps in the current political climate I need to spend less time on social media and more time working on the wretched hypocrisy of my own soul.  I see the enemy, and sometimes it is me.

So, here, Gentle Reader, is my resolution to make the remainder of 2017 a year to continue to work to improve my own soul, my own tone of discourse, my own consistency.  May God continue to strengthen my sanctification, and may I cooperate with Him.   May I be, as a former pastor once encouraged, as tough on myself as I can be, and as generous with others as possible.  And may I do it for the glory of my Savior. Want to join me?

  

On students as fledglings

I recently reread C. S. Lewis' Abolition of Man (or more exactly, listened to the audio version of this, which I had previously read.) I always marvel at Lewis' logic, laugh at his wit, and ponder the truth he shares. The whole "men-without-chests" metaphor here has long been a favorite with me to describe the results of progressive or modern education.

What really struck me and left me pondering this time, however, was what he said about good teaching prior to progressivism.  He describes this teaching as flowing seamlessly out of a philosophical and moral ethos that was unskeptical of the notion that there was, indeed, right and wrong, good and bad, a moral wisdom to be preserved.  He contrasts this type of teacher with the progressive teacher when he says:

They did not cut men to some pattern they had chosen. They handed on what they had received: they initiated  the young neophyte into the mystery of humanity which over-arched him and them alike. It was but old birds teaching young birds to fly.
~C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, part 3

What a great definition of teaching:  A good teacher takes the fledglings under her care and does nothing more than prepare them and kick them out of their comfortable place. It implies a transmission of humility before God and a teachable spirit that must be modeled, and is at the heart of all real and true education.

A good teacher fledges her charges. I like that.

Desperation, Meaning, and the Iliad

I am currently reading the Iliad.  I have never read through the whole thing before, I must admit, so it is about time.  And I also have to admit that I am enjoying it. My smarter and better read friend, Cindy R., wrote this of the Iliad:

"...I love it because of its desperation- Achilles' desperation, that pre-gospel longing for significance and meaning. I suppose I love it because I have found a better country and it reminds me from whence I have come..."

I still find myself at times wondering what I will be when I grow up, wondering what my life will add up to, what of any importance I have accomplished in these few years on this little planet. I forget that I am, indeed, in a better country. What a blessed thing not to have to understand everything, but to rest in the knowledge that meaning will be had in the end.

They say the grass is always greener elsewhere, but I think sometimes the grass being brown and scorched elsewhere is a good reminder to enjoy your own piece of desert. Leave desperation for meaning behind and rest in the One who both is and makes meaning.

And while all of that is true, I have to admit that I often find myself laughing at all the wrong parts of this book. It is SUCH a "boy" book, after all.  The eyeballs falling out of heads and mingling with the dust at the victim's feet, the details about entrails and noble deaths, all remind me of the days when small warriors roamed my house and were inspired to live bold lives. And those remembrances kill off any remainder of desperation.

I am reading the Iliad with a wonderful online book group called Conversatio at the Harvey Center.  If you feel inclined to come along on a journey through the classics, fill out the information form here and ask for information about Conversatio, or take a peek at what we're up to here.

A fair piece

Ran across this amazing quote on a blog this morning after reading about a woman's decision to end her life, and another woman's caring response.

“It is our fault, that we look upon God’s ways and works by halves and pieces; and so, we see often nothing but the black side, and the dark part of the moon. We mistake all, when we look upon men’s works by parts; a house in the building, lying in an hundred pieces; here timber, here a rafter, there a spar, there a stone; in another place, half a window, in another place, the side of a door: there is no beauty, no face of a house here. Have patience a little, and see them all by art compacted together in order, and you will see a fair building. When a painter draweth the half of a man; the one side of his head, one eye, the left arm, shoulder, and leg, and hath not drawn the other side, nor filled up with colours all the members, parts, limbs, in its full proportion, it is not like a man. So do we look on God’s works by halves or parts . . .  yet do we not see, that in this dispensation, the other half of God’s work makes it a fair piece.”
-Samuel Rutherford, The Trial and Triumph of Faith (1645)

 We cannot always make sense of life on this side of eternity, with only half the work visible to us. I am praying today for the grace to walk by faith in my half-way seeing, and believing that once I see the whole picture, I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Won't you join me Gentle Reader?

God's process

Two days ago it was spring and blooming things were starting to look lush and promising.  Today it is snowing.  If there is one truth about the climate that everyone can agree upon, it is that it changes in unpredictable ways.

I am also in a season of walking with friends as they lose their parents.  That is partly due to my own age rising to the mid-fifties.  And as it does, my body changes in ways I don;t appreciate.  Most of us don't like these changes.  The one constant, perhaps, in this veil of tears, is change.

And then I read this yesterday:

 "...[H]e calls us to a life of constant work, constant growth, and constant confession and repentance. Making us holy is God's unwavering agenda until we are taken home to be with him. He will do whatever he needs to produce holiness in us. He wants us to be a community of joy, but he is willing to compromise our temporal happiness in order to increase our Christlikeness. Any time we find ourselves in difficulty or trial, it is easy to think we have been forgotten or rejected by God. This is because we do not understand the present process. God is not working for our comfort and ease; He is working on our growth. At the very moment we are tempted to question his faithfulness, he is fulfilling his redemptive promises to us. After all, it's not like there are only some people who really need to change. Change is for everyone, and God is always at work to complete this process in us."

~How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp, pp. 6-7

Indeed.  It struck me to the heart.  When I rail against change, I am railing against and failing to understand the important process God is working in me or others.  There is a whole theology of suffering in this one paragraph.

So today I am trying to rejoice, but hold joy lightly; trust in God's process when I don't see it or understand it.  I hope you will come along with me, Gentle Reader, and watch what God will do.

Words for Wednesday

Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God,with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. 5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan,the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgottenme? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" 10 My bones suffer mortal agonyas my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

More grace in Christ...

I have really been challenged as I have read  Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Resources for Changing Lives) by Paul David Tripp. I am constantly feeling convicted, and this selection from a few days ago is no exception:

As sinners we all tend to recast our own history in self-serving ways.  We hide behind the difficulties and pressures of the situation or the failures of others.  We look for external explanations, not internal ones. We are more impressed with our own righteousness than we are horrified at our sin.
~Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Resources for Changing Lives), p.181

Guilty as charged.  To all of you, Gentle Readers, who I have used to puff up my own self-righteousness, I ask your forgiveness.  And from those of you who have suffered because of my love for my own sin, I also beg forgiveness. It is grace that keeps me from being immobilized. It is grace, which is greater than all my sin and inability to be righteous, that saves me.  Thank you, Lord Jesus! I cling to this truth, so aptly put by Puritan Thomas Watson, that there is even more grace in Christ than there is sin in me.

St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

"...none but Zion's children know."

This morning in church, we heard an excellent exposition of Psalm 48, and spent time together pondering the gift of God to us in His body, the church, and the everlasting nature of that relationship.  It was a beautiful, significnt thing to contemplate!

One of the mental rabbit-trails this took me down was to remember that my mother's family descends from French Huguenots: French protestants who followed the teachings of Jean Calvin.  In following after that great Reformed tradition, I imagine those ancient grandfathers and grandmothers praying for those who would come after them.  I can hear their prayers for preserving in the family a remnant of those who would seek after Christ and follow Him alone.  And I can imagine that I, myself, am a partial answer to their prayers. And in turn, that thought leads me to pray for those generations coming after me- my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and those stretching on as long as the Lord tarries.  I pray that God would call this family faithful, by His gift of grace to us.  May there always be a remnant to follow Him from among this family!

And that leads me to think (in the opposite direction) of that great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us in this race of faith.  God not only provides a straight, smooth path for our feet, but provides generations of examples in the past to show us how it's done.  His church is truly a thing against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. John Newton wrote about it beautifully in this selection from the Olney Hymns, which we enjoyed singing together this morning.  May we, indeed, Gentle Readers, be raised by His love, over self, to reign with Him.

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God!
He, whose Word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.


See! the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love;
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst t’assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord, the Giver,
Never fails from age to age.

Round each habitation hovering,
See the cloud and fire appear!
For a glory and a cov’ring
Showing that the Lord is near.
Thus deriving from our banner
Light by night and shade by day;
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which He gives them when they pray.

Blest inhabitants of Zion,
Washed in the Redeemer’s blood!
Jesus, whom their souls rely on,
Makes them kings and priests to God.
’Tis His love His people raises,
Over self to reign as kings,
And as priests, His solemn praises
Each for a thank offering brings.

Savior, if of Zion’s city,
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy Name.
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Zion’s children know.

Who calls me his child...

Sometimes I get to the end of the day--even good days-- and feel weary, and want to indulge in a little night-time pity party.  Some times, unfortunately, I manage to pull it off.  But more frequently, I find the kindness of my Savior simply won't allow me to go there, despite my foolish trying to do so.  Following on the heels of Sunday's excellent message, I read this tonight:

The bottom line is this: The problem is not that God is not here or that He is inactive; the problem is that we don't see him. Our perspective on life is is often tragically godless. We miss the one thing worth seeing, the glory of the ever-present God. When this happens, our lives are not built on the foundation of God's glory, which was intended to give our lives a starting point and a destination, a reason to get up and strength to go on...

~Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Resources for Changing Lives) p.98

The truth is, I could have quoted most of the 10 pages I read tonight for their sheer application to the sorry state of my own heart.  But the story doesn't stop with my weakness and sin and self-glorifying idol-making. 

Galatians 5 calls us to hold onto two realities. The first is the every-day reality of the war for the heart, the war between God's "within you" kingdom ad the kingdom of creation. I must face the reality of indwelling sin and my propensity to run after god-replacements. I am called to face my duplicity and my idolotry, and the fact that this war is the most significant inner dynamic of human experience...The second reality must be held tightly at the same time.  it is the reality of my idetity as a child of God and the resources that are therefore mine in Christ...

~Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Resources for Changing Lives) p.92

And so, I set my pity-arty aside, and remind myself not of my feelings, but of what I ought to be feeling: love and gratitude for a God who calls me his child.

Sundays with Jean (and Augustine)

Again, I m amazed at the gift that Augustine was to the church- and at the wealth of quotes from him to be found in Calvin. For those who think Calvin "invented" the idea of God's sovereignty, I offer this lovely Augustinian wisdom:

"We most wholesomely confess what we most correctly believe, that the God and Lord of all things, who created all things exceedingly good, and and foreknew that evil evil things would rise out of good, and also knew that it pertained to his most omnipotent goodness to bring good out of evil things rather than not to permit evil things to be...so ordained the life of angels and men that in it he might first of all shpow what free will could do, and then what the blessing of his grace and the verdict of his justice could do..."

~Jean Calvin, quoting Augustine, Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion (2 Volume Set), III. 22.7

The One who reveals deep and hidden things...

This morning I read the following passage from Daniel during my quiet time.  It seems particularly appropriate for Election Day.  I hope you are voting today (or have voted already), Gentle Reader.  It is our duty and our privilege.

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
   to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
    he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
   and knowledge to those who have understanding;
 he reveals deep and hidden things;
 he knows what is in the darkness,
    and the light dwells with him..."
~Daniel 2: 20-22

Sundays with Jean...

...For the Lord proves his people by no light trials, and does not softly exercise them, but often drives them to extremity, and allows them, so driven, to lie a long time in the mire before he gives them any taste of his sweetness...
~Jean Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion (2 Volume Set) III. 20.52

When I read this in Calvin, my soul responds with an "Amen".  I often have asked God why I have to struggle for so long, or get so weary before the light of God's countenance lifts me.  And as I struggle with the Lord in prayer, the answer is the same one the saints of old have always gotten:

Remember the former things, those of long ago;
       I am God, and there is no other;
       I am God, and there is none like me.
 I make known the end from the beginning,
       from ancient times, what is still to come.
       I say: My purpose will stand,
       and I will do all that I please.
~Isaiah 46:9-10

If life was easy we would love it here, and not need a future hope.  If we were secure and righteous in ourselves, we would not need a Savior. I hope today, on this beautiful Sabbath day, you have both a future hope and a Savior, Gentle Readers. They make all the difference in the day of trouble.

Balm for my soul...

Lately I've been loving the song "Your Hands" on the radio. Good words, catchy tune, balm for my soul...

Your Hands by JJ Heller

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn't there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
That You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

When You walked upon the Earth
You healed the broken, lost, and hurt
I know You hate to see me cry
One day You will set all things right
Yea, one day You will set all things right

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

Your hands
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave You when...

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave...
I never leave Your hands

Sundays with Jean

Prayer: it is a mainstay of the Christian life, but is also a struggle, at least for me. The temptations of the world around me, the calendar events of the day, the lack of discipline of my own mind: these often lead me away from the duty and joy of prayer. Reading Calvin on prayer has been both practical and encouraging. Those who talk of Calvin as strictly intellectual and inaccessible have evidently never read him when he says:

...[I]t is fully evident that unless voice and song, if interposed with prayer, spring from deep feeling of heart, neither has any value or profit in the least with God...
~Jean Calvin, Institutes Book III, Chapter 20, Part 31

That is practical, personal advice from a pastor's heart. And I was edified by this reminder that we may pray unceasingly because God give to us unceasingly:

The reason why Paul enjoins us both to pray and to give thanks without ceasing is, of course, that he wishes all men to lift up their desires to God, with all possible constancy, at all times, in all places, and in all affairs and transactions, to expect all things from him, and give give him praise for all things, since he offers us unfailing reasons to praise and pray.
J. Calvin, Institutes, Book III, Chapter 20, Part 28

In love let's persevere...

Today I am grateful for many thins. But one of the things I remain constantly thankful for is my best friend for more than 30 years, and husband for almost that long. I ran across the following poem recently, and I thought it was appropriate for us. And I can't compete with Anne Bradstreet's poetry.

So, thank you, Dave: for loving me, befriending me, choosing to be faithful and take delight in me. You are my greatest earthly blessing!

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can in no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold I pray.
Then while we live, in love lets so persever,
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
~Anne Bradstreet