Those Whom Live Closest to You

I was re-reading a portion of one of my favorite books from 2009 - Broken-Down House by Paul Tripp. This quote gripped me as I think about spending time with my family this Christmas season:

John [1 John 4:7-12, 16-21] essentially says that if you want to know the true quality of your relationship with God, don't look at your theological knowledge, biblical literacy, church involvement, etc. (although all these are very important). Instead, you should look at the quality of the relationships you have with those whom you live closest to.

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Tiger Woods through a Biblical Lens

Here is a thoughtful article by David Bahnsen on the Tiger Woods adultery scandal.

Here is a tidbit of what he says:

The postmodern tendency to “wonder what they may be going through behind closed doors” does not resonate with me (other than the cynical smile it puts on my face). To me, these people are dirtbags, and I believe that marital vows are meant to be broken in any society that condones murdering babies, breaking business covenants with bondholders, forcing a Darwinian view of human origin that necessitates moral relativism, etc. I find all of it deplorable, but I certainly do not find it surprising. We have a recipe for a certain cake, and when the cake comes out of the oven exactly as the recipe called for, why would we wonder why the cake does not taste like a meatloaf? Media savagery, marital infidelity, and the rest of this despicable enchilada are all part of the present societal recipe. If I spend 18 years teaching my children that the highest ethic is not getting caught, and that the real measurement of their satisfaction in life ought to come from their hedonistic enjoyment of it, I am expecting to get Bernie Madoff, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, and Brittney Spears, all rolled into one (though sadly, with less money).

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Thanksgiving in an Evil Day

I enjoyed reading Douglas Wilson's post on Thanksgiving Day. He reflects on our Christian duty to give thanks in the midst of an "evil day."
As one who is preaching through Ephesians, I enjoyed his reflection on Ephesians 5.

Read and Enjoy

BLOG and MABLOG

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John Owen on Sin

I've been reading The Mortification of Sin by John Owen recently. This paragraph really stood out to me,

As sin weakens, so it darkens the soul. It is a cloud, a thick cloud, that spreads itself over the face of the soul, and intercepts all the beams of God's love and favour. It takes away all sense of the privilege of our adoption; and if the soul begins to gather up thoughts of consolation, sin quickly scatters them.

Owen writes this as an encouragement for believers to take seriously the biblical call to mortify (kill) the sin in our lives by the Spirit.

Dear Father,

Please do not let me let sin (known or unknown) go unmortified in my life. For the sake of my soul, my family, my church, and my ministry increase in me the desire to kill sin and strengthen me in battle against it. May my church and home be a place of humble vigilance. May You surround me with godly brothers and sisters in Christ who will lovingly speak the truth to me. And may my ultimate aim in mortifying the sin that is in me be Your honor and glory. Amen.

You can read Mortification of Sin for free here.

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Pray for Your Preacher

This Sunday I preached a sermon entitled "Hear the Word" from 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

At the beginning I asked the congregation to pray for me in regards to my charge to "preach the word."

Here are the five things I asked them to pray for:

1) Pray that I would preach the Word with accuracy. Pray that I would not add to it or leave something out.

2) Pray that I would preach the Word with clarity. Pray that I would be given a gift and I would work hard to make the truth clear and understandable (use of words and language).

3) Pray that I would preach the Word with power. Pray that I would have what the old timers called “unction in the pulpit.” Pray that God would use His Word to bring life.

4) Pray that I would preach the Word with perseverance. Pray that I would not be weary in well doing but faithful regardless of apparent fruitfulness.

5) Pray that I would preach the Word with my life. Pray that my walk would match a faithful preaching of the Gospel.

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