Happy 500th birthday, John Calvin!

The great preacher & theologian of the Protestant Reformation, JOHN CALVIN, was born on July 10, 1509 — exactly five hundred years ago today! Praise God for this man and his ministry which reformed the church and changed the face of western civilization.

John Piper’s recent article in WORLD magazine cites…

…Abraham Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism given at Princeton Seminary in October 1898. Kuyper was a pastor, a journalist, the founder of the Free University of Amsterdam, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands:
“Calvinism has liberated Switzerland, the Netherlands, and England, and in the Pilgrim Fathers has provided the impulse to the prosperity of the United States.”

Kuyper closed his lectures with a claim that for many today sounds preposterous. Do not write him off. Get the book Lectures on Calvinism, and test these words, spoken to Americans in 1898:

“In the rise of your university education . . . in the decentralized . . . character of your local governments . . . in your championship of free speech, and in your unlimited regard for freedom of conscience; in all this . . . it is demonstrable that you owe this to Calvinism and to Calvinism alone.”

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Unused Prayer

The Scriptures call us to pray continuously, moment to moment. When we do not pray, the need of the moment remains — and often drives us to unhelpful responses, such as anxiety. Paul Miller, in his book A PRAYING LIFE, illustrates this, beginning with the “unused” prayer of that moment…

What does an unused prayer link look like? Anxiety. Instead of connecting with God, our spirits fly around like severed power lines, destroying everything they touch. Anxiety wants to be God but lacks God’s wisdom, power or knowledge. … Because anxiety is self on its own, it tries to get control. It is unable to relax in the face of chaos. Once one problem is solved, the next in line steps up. The new one looms so large we forget the last deliverance. (p. 70)

1st Peter 5:7 tells Christians to be casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
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Manton: Get God’s help with God’s Word

Friend, you need God’s help to profit from God’s Word. Puritan Thomas Manton makes this point today in the excerpt below….
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“If we would profit by the word of God, we must go to God, and desire the light and strength of His grace. If we would enjoy the blessed God, according to the direction of His word, we must not only consult with the word, but with God; nothing else can draw us off from the world, and persuade us to look after heavenly things; nothing else will teach us the vanity of the creature, the reality of spiritual privileges. Until we see these thinks in a divine light, the heart hangs off from God; …We shall still run after lying vanities until God doth open our eyes to see the mysteries of the word, and to be affected with the way. …Our hearts can never be drawn to God until He takes us into His own hands.”

— Sermon on Psalm 119:12 (I:102; emphasis added).

“7 Keys to Creating a Great List”

Dynamo pastor Josh Harris serves us this list on lists….

7 KEYS TO CREATING A GREAT LIST

1. Start your list with the number 1 and then go from there.
2. Use original and memorable words to describe your list like “key” and “great.”
3. Never at any point give in to the creeping fear that your list isn’t necessary.
4. Use humor, act witty but if you can’t write a short statement which will appear profound.
5. Do it.
6. Save your best, “gotcha” item for last. The second-to-last item can be a throw-away.
7. Never, never do more or less items than you originally promised.
8. Enjoy the process!

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Happy 4th of July!!!

As you celebrate our great history of liberty in these United States, take a moment also to pray for our country — and her citizens.

“I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe . . . Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy.” — patriot Daniel Webster

Helplessness on its knees

At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, Mary came to her son, Jesus, and said “They have no wine” (Matt. 2:3). This is one of the simplest and best examples of prayer.

“Prayer is bringing your helplessness to Jesus” says Paul E. Miller in his new book, A Praying Life, Connecting with God in a Distracting World. He goes on to say this…

Throughout the book of John we see people coming to Jesus because of their helplessness. The Samaritan woman has no water (John 4). Later in that same chapter, the official’s son has no health. The crippled man by the pool of Bethesda has no help to get into the water (John 5). The crowd has no bread (John 6). The blind man has no sight (John 9). And finally, Lazarus has no life (John 11).

…We forget that helplessness is how the Christian life works.
(p. 55)

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Thoughts on Death

The recent deaths of American celebrities (Farrah Fawcett‎, Michael Jackson, and even TV pitch-man, Billy Mays) have brought many to think (albeit briefly) about death. Oh, that the Lord would awaken many dying souls to their condition, and then graciously bring them to life by the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Some the best words from Charles H. Spurgeon (the “Prince of preachers” from a past century), come from his sermons on death, heaven and hell. On September 26, 1886 he preached from JOB 30:23, “For I know that you will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living.”

Below are some excerpts for your consideration — the final two will be especially precious words to Christians….

Should it not be the business of this life to prepare for the next life, and, in that respect, to prepare to die? But how can a man be prepared for that which he never thinks of? Do you mean to take a leap in the dark? If so, you are in an unhappy condition, and I beseech you as you love your own soul to escape from such peril by the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

Oh! you that are youngest, you that are fullest of health and strength, I lovingly invite you not to put away this subject from you. Remember, the youngest may be taken away. …. Let others know that they are not too strong to die. The stoutest trees of the forest are often the first to fall beneath the destroyer’s axe.

Cast your eye over every land, glance from the pole to the equator, and along to the other pole, and see if this be not the universal law, that man must be dissolved in death. “It is appointed unto men once to die.” … Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, must be the last word for us among the sons of men.

That poet was half inspired who said, “All men count all men mortal but themselves.” Is it not so with us? We do not really expect to die. We reckon that we shall live a very considerable time yet. Even those who are very aged still think that as a few others have lived to an extreme old age, so may they.

Those who die daily will die easily. Those who make themselves familiar with the tomb will find it transfigured into a bed: the charnel will become a couch. The man who rejoices in the covenant of grace is cheered by the fact that even death itself is comprehended among the things which belong to the believer. I would to God we had learned this lesson. We should not then put death aside amongst the umber, nor set it upon the shelf among the things which we never intend to use. Let us live as dying men among dying men, and then we shall truly live. This will not make us unhappy; for surely no heir of heaven will fret because he is not doomed to live here for ever. It were a sad sentence if we were bound over to dwell in this poor world for ever…. Who desires to go up and down among the sons of men for twice a thousand years? … To grow ripe and to be carried home like shocks of corn in their season, is not this a fit and fair thing? To labor through a blessed day, and then at nightfall to go home and to receive the wages of grace — is there anything dark and dismal about that? God forgive you that you ever thought so! If you are the Lord’s own child, I invite you to look this home-going in the face until you change your thought and see no more in it of gloom and dread, but a very heaven of hope and glory.

We are immortal till our work is done. Be ye therefore quiet in the day of evil; rest you peaceful in the day of destruction: all things are ordered by wisdom and precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. No forces in the world are outside of his control. God suffers no foes to trespass on the domain of Providence. All things are ordained of God, and specially are our deaths under the peculiar oversight of our exalted Lord and Savior. He liveth and was dead, and beareth the keys of death at his girdle. He himself shall guide us through death’s iron gate. Surely what the Lord wills and what he himself works cannot be otherwise than acceptable to his chosen! Let us rejoice that in life and death we are in the Lord’s hands.

Amen!
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Myths about Love & Sex — part 2

How should mature Christians answer some of the common beliefs of a sexually charged culture? By exposing them as myths!

As stated in a previous post, excellent help can be found in “How to Stay Christian in College” (Navpress, 1999) by Prof. J. Budziszewski. In chapter 6 he smartly raises and demolishes several common myths young people hold about love and sex. Let me cite the first, and his reply…

MYTH NUMBER TWO: LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND SEX YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT.

It may indeed be true that some things must be experienced to properly understand them, but is this true of “everything”? Budziszewski says,

“But other things in this life aren’t like that at all. Drug addiction is one, suicide is another. Nobody would say that you have to be a drug addict to become wise about drugs; nobody would say that you have to commit suicide in order to find out whether it’s a good idea. In fact, in these cases, experience is the one thing that keeps you from being able to choose wisely about them. Over the centuries, the human race has discovered quite a number of cases like this — behaviors that impair instead of enhance the ability to choose wisely, experiences that subtract from rather than add to understanding. That’s one of the reason they’ve been called sins and vices, and that people have been warned away from them instead of encouraged to try them. Sex outside of marriage is one of these cases.” (p.82)

Score: Truth = 2, Myth = 0.

More to follow….
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Manton on “desiring God” (long before John Piper)

Careful reading of the following quotation will yield much reward. Here, puritan Thomas Manton reminds us that God is content and happy in Himself, and the one who comes to know God (and love what He loves) will share in this great happiness. Manton, and all the puritans really, were “Christian hedonists” long before John Piper smartly coined the phrase. Manton also takes a poke at those who think (wrongly) that the way of holiness is an unhappy path (far from the truth!) — so if that’s you, read this twice and reconsider!
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“God loves Himself, and acts for Himself, and pursueth His own glory. Now when the word of God breaks in upon the heart, we pursue the same design with God. Men are prejudiced against a course of holiness; it seems to look upon them with a sour and austere face. Surely God loves a pleasant life; whoever is miserable, He hath a full contentment. Doth He that made all thinks want [lack] true joy and contentment? Who should have happiness if God hath not? Now when we learn God’s statutes, we come to be conformed to the nature of God; we love what He loves, and hate what He hates, and then we begin to live the life of God. The happiness of God lieth in loving Himself, enjoying Himself, and acting for His own glory; and this is the fruit of grace, to teach us to live as God lives, to do as God doth; to love Him and enjoy Him as our chiefest good; and to glorify Him as our utmost end.”
— Sermon on Psalm 119:12 (I:99; emphasis added).

Simple thoughts on a spectacular thing

Marriage is a spectacular thing! Having just marked my 25th Wedding Anniversary only reinforces this! And it spectacular far beyond my abilities to describe in writing (especially in a short blog post! But I do have a couple simple thoughts, that might encourage or edify others…

GOSPEL MYSTERY. When our Pastor, Dr Dick Sisson preached from Ephesians 5 at our wedding, he began by stating his wonder: how can a boy from Wisconsin win the heart of a girl from Boston? How do those “so different”(!) come together to enjoy the covenant relationship of marriage?? This mystery is a picture for us of the gospel itself — a picture of how men come to be in a relationship with God through Christ Jesus! In Ephesians 5 we read this (emphasis added)…

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Profound indeed! But by the common grace of God men and women do get married — and, by saving grace, men and women can be redeemed by Christ and enter into a covenant relationship with God! I am so thankful for BOTH graces at work in me and in my marriage.

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STRENGTH TO CLEAVE. 25 years is a long time. Where does one find the inner strength to maintain a marriage? When I stood with my bride on our wedding day, and repeated my vows to her before God, I added a verse of Scripture (Psalm 73:26, my life’s verse) that has since proven true time and time again:

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

My strength to be a husband comes from God. He is faithful to those who call upon Him, trust Him and serve Him.

I thank God for all that I have learned while being married to Laurel — about the joys of marriage, the real nature of love, and, the significance of grace. God is very good.

yours (and Laurel’s) by divine mercy,
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