I need the Sword

“How anybody walks through this devil ruled world without a sword in their hand, is beyond me.”

-John Piper

Why Memorize Scripture?

neeed to refoocuss on Christ and eternity

Been feeling to worldly last few days.

Godly Discipline vs Legalism

Comment to Jon Acuff’s post:

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/02/using-fear-of-legalism-as-an-excuse-to-be-lazy/

“I think we need to understand that there is a difference between legalism and Godly discipline. Legalism is doing something because “thats what youre supposed to do”. Godly discipline on the other hand is doing it, not because you are supposed to, but doing it because you genuinely want to and you are looking to grow your relationship with God. I am guilty of doing things out of legalism all the time. Sometimes I sit back and think to myself about why I am reading my bible and praying and going to church? Is it because I want to get to know God or is it because, as a christian, that is what I am supposed to do? Some days I think its one reason, and some days I think its the other reason. Its something I struggle with and I ask God to help me with everyday.”

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/02/using-fear-of-legalism-as-an-excuse-to-be-lazy/comment-page-2/#comment-169829

the Gospel

Salvation is by Grace, Sanctification is by Grace….

“Salvation comes from the LORD.”

Jonah 2:9b

Sometimes, it feels scary, or uncomfortable, that we aren’t in control.  That we are justified by what Christ has done, by grace and not by our own works.  That we can’t do anything to “get closer” to God, to have desire for Him.  Desire, Passion for God is a gift.  All we do is have faith in Christ, that He is working in us and that we are being made into the image of Christ, holy. 

To understand the gospel is to know that we don’t actually know it.  Even the act of understanding of truly understanding the gospel is an act of grace, a gift from God.

Grace can be scary to us…

But Grace is beautiful…

It’s from a heart of gratitude that we worship and serve our God. 

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play audio file with 42:30 mins left (“-42:30”)

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/the-supremacy-of-christ-and-the-gospel-in-a-postmodern-world

Grace Grace Grace

From DesiringGod.org…

Is Sanctification God's Effort or our effort?

Philippians 2:12-13—

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Jonathan Edwards writes,

In efficacious grace we are not merely passive, nor yet does God do some and we do the rest. But God does all, and we do all. God produces all, we act all. For that is what produces, viz. [namely] our own acts. God is the only proper author and fountain; we only are the proper actors. We are in different respects, wholly passive and wholly active.
(The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 2, p. 557)

John Piper writes,

…it is a good fight because we are not left to our own strength in the fight. If we were, as Martin Luther says, "Our striving would be losing." In other words, when a child of God fights for joy in God, God himself is the one behind that struggle, giving the will and the power to defeat the enemy of joy (Philippians 2:12-13). We are not left to ourselves to sustain the joy of faith. God fights for us and in us. Therefore the fight of faith is a good fight.

God's work in us does not eliminate our work; it enables it. We work because he is the one at work in us. Therefore, the fight for joy is possible because God is fighting for us and through us. All our efforts are owing to his deeper work in and through our willing and working.
(When I Don't Desire God, pp. 38, 41)

C.S. Lewis,

On the whole, God's love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him. Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will. If we are trying to do His will we are obeying the commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.' He will give us feelings of love if He pleases. We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right. But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.
(Mere Christianity)

This is one of the topics that I’ve been thinking a lot about recently. 

Real faith produces fruits.  It’s obvious that this is true if you read the Bible.  You have passages like James 2:22-25, or John 15.  And it makes sense!  If you believe and know who God is and who you are, I believe God’s love and grace would be irresistible; so much so that you would long to worship and serve Him.  Out of worship for God, fruits will come.

I think it’s good for Christians to stop and reflect on their lives.  Are you bearing fruit?  Is your life transformed by the gospel?  And for the past year, I’ve been thinking a lot about that in my own life.  But it’s only the last month or two, that I realized that I had a complete wrong response to all of it.  When I saw my lack of fruit, it wasn’t to Christ that I turned to, but to myself.  I questioned my faith, my passion….  I looked to my own self and forgot to look at Christ.

It is in Christ that we have FREEDOM.  Do we know what that means?  to have freedom of sin?

I remember 1-2 weeks ago, I had a week full of assignments and a midterm to top it all.  I was up late for a few days, and had to wake up early to finish an assignment.  When my midterm was over on Friday night, I literally felt a burden lift off my shoulders.  I was like “YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY, I’m done, I’m done, I’m done, I can relax and not worry!”

Do we say that of our sin?  Is sin so sinful to us that we feel the weight of it?  Such that when we realize that Jesus bore the sin of the world..OUR sin, and that He did it to free us because He loves us?  Do we see how much GRACE there is?

I look to Christ and trust that He is at work in me.  That in and of myself, I can’t do anything.

 

Grace Grace Grace

Yes, faith produces good deeds.  But you can’t have faith, or love without first looking at Christ.  Worship Him! 

RS 235 Jesus Life and Legacy

So this term I’m taking an RS course about Jesus’ life in the gospels.   A few days ago, I had an assignment that I had to do.  Basically, we had to compare three accounts of the same event (Matthew 12:22-32//Mark 3:20-30//Luke 11:14-23).

I’ve gone over and looked at overviews of the gospels in the past, but I don’t think I’ve really spent this much time look, comparing and explaining the differences between the authors, their purpose/theme of writing, their style and how it all affected the way they explained and wrote down an event in the gospels.  It’s just great that we have four different accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings which all emphasize different themes.

I was actually supposed to read the gospels in one sitting too (one at a time, not all four at once haha), but I haven’t yet.  =P

Anyways, I’m liking the course so far, though the lectures are a bit of a pain to go through haha; a little slow.

Failll

I want to post thoughts, like I said last week, but I also don’t want to post w/o organizing my thoughts properly and making it biblically sound.  And then, I don’t plan time to do so.  So what happens is I end up NOT having time to blog..goooossh

So I’ll just share this link to an article of Jon Acuff’s…that I’m sure everyone who reads this has dealt with…

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/01/the-trouble-with-fruit/

OK, I gotta get myself to start blogging again!

It’s been a long time since I last blogged, for multiple reasons.  I wasn’t in school the last term and was isolating myself and I was lazy too.  But I’m back in school this term, and there were a lot of times when I wanted to just write stuff down into blog form but never did it.

I’m going to try to do one blog post a week now based on stuff I’m learning have learnt in the past months, or conversations/sermons I’ve had.  One each week will give me time to put enough research into it and hopefully have more biblical references…. at least that’s the plan.

Basic stuff that I might write about, roughly:

1. Desires, satisfaction in God not self
2. Faith and anxiety
3. Godly sorrow and repentance
4. Grace, trust in Christ not yourself   

I definitely need to put more effort to maintain contact with ppl even when I’m in Waterloo.  Blessings…

Science, the Bible, and the Promised Land :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library

If you're interested in Creationsim, etc etc...

Recently came across this article on a view of creationism, and it's really interesting. Haven't heard of it. Long read though.

Science, the Bible, and the Promised Land :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library