ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The glory of God eminently appears in His absolute sovereignty over all creatures, great and small.  If the glory of a prince be in his power and dominion, then the glory of God is His absolute sovereignty. - Jonathan Edwards

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

This is not an age in which to be a soft Christian. - Francis Schaeffer

ReformedRev's Quote for Christmas Day

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.  - Charles Dickens

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.  - W.J. Cameron

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The birth of Jesus is the sunrise in the Bible. - Henry Van Dyke

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Bethlehem and Golgotha, the Manger and the Cross, the birth and the death, must always be seen together. - J. Sidlow Baxter

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a living presence. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Christianity does not remove you from the world and its problems; it makes you fit to live in it, triumphantly and usefully. - Charles Templeton

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it  has a God who knew his way out of the grave. - G. K. Chesterton

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The Christian is a man who can be certain about the ultimate even when he is most uncertain about the immediate. - D. Martyn Loyd-Jones

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not even what I hope to be. But by the cross of Christ, I am not what I was. - John Newton

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Selfishness makes Christmas a burden, love makes it a delight. - Author unkown

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity - hope for pardon, hope for peace with God, hope of glory - because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross. - J.I. Packer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The distinction between Christianity and all other systems of religion consist largely in this, that in these others men are found seeking after God, while Christianity is God seeking after men. - Thomas Arnold

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Humility disposes a person heartily and freely to acknowledge his meanness or littleness before God. He sees how fit and suitable it is that he should do this, and he dose it willingly, even with delight. - Jonathan Edwards

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Give thanks with a grateful heart, for all that the Lord has done.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! - RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road. - John Henry Jowett

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes - and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

“Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Denying Self: The Key to Happiness

The denial of oneself is not a new idea in Christian thought. We see it as a reoccurring theme in the New Testament, especially with our Lord. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus reminds his disciples of the importance of this when he says "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." The denial of self allows us to look to God first and enables us to place the will of God over our own; freeing our minds from the clutter of selfishness, pride, and other hinderances.

The great reformer John Calvin addressed the idea of self denial often in Book 3 of his Institutes of the Christian Religion. In his writing Calvin shows a true clarity of thought when addressing the struggles we believers face trying to move from our world of self-absorption to the spiritual state of self denial.

So let me close these few lines of thought with his words "In earlier times it was truly said that a world of evil is hidden in the soul of man. There is no remedy other than self-denial, which enables us to lay our own preferences aside, and to set our minds on the things which God requires, striving for them only because they are pleasing to him."

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Faith makes all things possible... love makes all things easy. - Dwight L. Moody

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer. - F.B. Meyer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Prayer that is faithless is fruitless. - Thomas Watson

Waiting

Like David, I have often called out to God in my distress, as if I have the ability to summon Him on my behalf as I please. I have saturated my prayers with the words mercy and forgiveness time and time again. On other occasions I have used phrases like "How long O Lord?" and "I call upon the name of the Lord" hoping these biblical sounding words would move God to act more quickly. However, even in moments of distress there often seems to be a required period of waiting, as if God is whispering "this is part of my plan."

Waiting is not something I am fond of doing and not something I do exceptionally well. It is a struggle because I seek and desire an immediate answer or response in all that I do or have need of. To wait is never in my plan.  It does not appear to fit my spiritual DNA, or does it?

The scriptures are clear; waiting on God is part of understanding our relationship with God. Our heavenly Father is not bound by space or time; He has no such mortal limitations. So as I call out to Him the scriptures remind me that His answers will always come, but on His time not mine.

In Psalm 13:1 David cries out "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" David goes on to say he is wrestling with his thoughts, he has sorrow in his heart, and it seems his enemies will continue to triumph. His struggles pierce him from depths of his very being. However, in verses five and six David sings a different song, "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me."

In this short Psalm, David's emotions move from distress to praise, doubt to conviction. Here I can resonate with him because in his response I find myself. The distress, the doubting questions, the cries for help, all are there. Yet here I am also reminded of the faithfulness of my God and if I wait upon Him He will answer me in His good time; so like David I wait. For it is in moments like these I find the assurance I seek. It is in the depths of this silent place I sense His love and grace covering me. It is in the waiting, I release my fears and the burdens of life. It is in the waiting I am able to dwell in the safety of my relationship with the one true living God, through Jesus Christ my Lord.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

He who prays as he ought will endeavor to live as he prays. - John Owen

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Most Christians expect little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little, and are content with little.  -  A.W. Pink

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Prayer is not, as many take it to be, just a few babbling, prating, complimentary expressions, but a sensible feeling in the heart, an awareness of what God is and what we are. - John Bunyan

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. - George Mueller

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life. - Jonathan Edwards

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

For the lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. - Revelation 7:17

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

O that I may always be humble and resigned to God, and that he would cause my soul to be more fixed on himself, that I be more fitted both for doing and suffering. - Jonathan Edwards

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

“There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him.” - C.S. Lewis

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” - C.S. Lewis

Danger, Danger...

The church today is in trouble. Well, that’s what I keep hearing. Some say the church is being swal- lowed, consumed by cultural shifts, losing its identity. Others proclaim it has lost its relevance in the modern world. Still, there are some who take a more optimistic stance and would argue the church has evolved and become more enlightened, accepting alternative theological views and lifestyles. These conversations blaze across the pages of the various forms of social media and avenues of 
communication.

At times the number of opinions being birthed on a daily basis seems unending and even 
overwhelming. A simple Google search using the word “church” will produce a flood of related and 
unrelated options for your reading pleasure.

So with that being said, I would like to share my humble opinion, adding it to the thousands available at the press of a key on your com- puter keyboard. I believe the greatest danger to the church today does not come from our culture. It does not find its way out of an opinion that the church is no longer rele- vant to our position in the world. The greatest danger the church faces does not come from anti-gospel forces outside its walls but from those who continue to fill our pulpits and preach a counterfeit gospel.


These pastors and teachers do not stroll around our churches wearing T-shirts that say “God loves you and I have a wonderful new gospel for your life.” No! These folks are dangerous because they know how to talk a distorted form of spiritual talk. It sounds so Christian. They use the right terminology, or at least pieces of it. “Jesus is the way to God” they will say. Then they will turn around and say we must be open to the idea that there are other ways to God. They say they believe in Jesus but their lives indicate they do not know Jesus. The gospel they proclaim is their gospel, not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So let us be clear, the one true gospel is based in Jesus Christ and him alone. It states that we are all sin- ners and have sinned. It calls us to repent and turn to the free gift of grace that is offered through a rela- tionship with Jesus. For it was his willing sacrifice, his death on the cross, and his resurrection by God the Father that salvation is now offered to us. This is the gospel of grace Paul refers to in Ephesians 2:1-10. It is not a gospel created by mankind but the true gospel of God for mankind.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

 "The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation." Charles Spurgeon

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. - William Cowper 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Reason's last step is the recognition that there and an infinite number of things that are beyond it. - Blaise Pascal

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

He who prays as he ought will endeavor to live as he ought. - John Owen 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The Cross is God's truth about us, and therefore it is the only power which can make us truthful. When we know the Cross we are no longer afraid of the truth. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

Success and Power

We live in a culture that seeks and admires success and power. Those who lack these much sought-after commodities, or worse, refuse to pursue these popular twins are looked upon as odd or even a bit radical. Yet, in reading the scriptures, we see Jesus posed a "radical" challenge to this dynamic duo of popular culture.

Jesus was not concerned with worldly success or power. He was more interested in seeking and doing the will of the Father, a radical thought even in his day. This is how he would define success and here is where he understood real power to be. Jesus was not interested in how others would measure his success for he knew that his success would be defined through his obedience to the Father. The power he exercised was his ability to act upon the will of the Father, even to the point of death. The possibility that he would be willing to give up his sinless life as a payment for the sins of others, was an even more radical idea and remains so.

Today Jesus continues to pose a threat to the values and priorities of our post-Christian Society. His life, ministry, death, and resurrection still promote a radical view of how we define real success and power.

So let us continue to walk the "radical" path that Jesus walked before us. Let us seek and find the will of God the Father. Let us understand that any power which might flow from our actions must be defined within the absolute power of the life we have given to our Savior so that we may turn away from our cultural preoccupations and seek to walk the path of true success and power.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Truth is not discerned intellectually, it is discerned spiritually. -  Oswald Chambers

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The devil tries to shake the truth by pretending to defend it. - Tertullian

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

God never signs the title of anything over to us, but merely gives us things to keep in trust. All will be left behind when he calls us home. - William Gurnall  

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

There are only two kinds of persons: those dead in sin and those dead to sin. - Leonard Ravenhill

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Sin has the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages. - Thomas Watson

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

We ignore, but we cannot evade, the presence of God. - C.S. Lewis

"It's Just a Spirit Thing"

In a conversation today I was asked how a person might know, have assurance, that he is truly a follower of Jesus Christ. While a scriptural answer for this question can be found in Romans 8:16, I also like the way John Calvin puts it:

"The Spirit of God gives us such a testimony, that when he is our guide and teacher our spirit is made sure of the adoption of God; for our mind itself, without the preceding testimony of the Spirit, could not convey to us this assurance."

This would appear to be an example right out of a wonderful song the Christian music group Newsboys sang called "It's Just a Spirit Thing." But in reality it is much, much more. It is a living example of God's wisdom, provision, and his love for those who come to him through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

RefRev

Nothing retards so much the progress of Christ's kingdom as the paucity (scarcity) of ministers. - John Calvin 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. - Corrie Ten Boom

He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent. - Saint Augustine

Faith

Faith. When people talk about faith I often ask them to define the word. This is always interesting but not always successful. Faith is more than just committing ourselfs to what we believe are Christian principles. Faith is more than a psychological explanation to many of the issues we face in life. Faith is much more!

Faith is not just abstract ideas about God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit. Faith is much more!

Faith is what connects us to the beauty and wonder of Jesus Christ. It is our dependence, not upon what we see in ourselves, but upon what we know about our Lord. Through his redemptive work, his grace, and his mercy, we are saved.

As we struggle through the challenges of this life we must hold onto our faith. We must also stay focused on Jesus Christ if our faith is to be sustained, or as Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, "Faith means being held captive by the sight of Jesus Christ."

So let us not lose sight and remain committed to our faith in Jesus Christ.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

God's truth judges created things out of love, and Satan's truth judges them out of envy and hatred. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there! There is no such thing. - C.S. Lewis

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless he has a specific plan by which great blessings can come out of difficulty. - Peter Marshall

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Man only knows who he is in the light of God. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Christianity is a religion of the open tomb. - Roy L. Smith 

Called, Compelled, Commanded ...

Even a running glance through the Psalms will impress upon a believer the importance of worship in the Christian Life. We are called, compelled, commanded to worship God.

Through worship we gain an increased awareness of God’s presence. In Psalm 139 David reminds us that God is always present in our lives but through worship we find how present we are with God. We experience a great awareness of how close he is to us, and even more important, how close we should seek to be to him.

Through worship we gain an increased knowledge of the attributes of God, we cultivate a solid concept of who God is. Worship allows us to throw off the cold, impersonal, view of God that the world tries so hard to set before us. Through worship we are able to see God as he is revealed in the Scriptures. We are encouraged to contemplate his many attributes and gain a more awe-inspiring picture of him. Worship allows us to break free from the limited god the world presents and experience the true living God of the Bible.

In Psalm 36 David speaks of the steadfast love of the God. He speaks of the righteousness of God, his faithfulness, and loving-kindness. Like David, when we worship we experience a greater awareness of God’s character. When we encounter God’s presence in worship, we experience his character in a powerful and meaningful way. His love, his grace, his mercy, his strength, his wisdom, his glory and holiness are all available in as we come before him and worship.

As believers we have the privilege of worshiping at anytime and in any place, 24-7 we have access to the Almighty. Yet, as believers, we are also called together to worship corporately. Through worship, God strengthens the ties of his people, to himself and to each other.

So let us make worship a priority and let us seek to worship together. And let us remember worship is not about a style of music, the use of only a certain instrument, the number of prayers, or the number of minutes in a service. Worship is, and always will be, about the desire of those who seek God with all their hearts.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Jesus makes us real, not merely sincere. - Oswald Chambers 

The Doxology

Each week, around the world, thousands of Christian congregations raise their voices in worship:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heavenly host:

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

In countless languages this “Doxology” is treasured. Yet few know the story behind these words, first published in 1709, and fewer still the life of their composer, Anglican Bishop Thomas Ken (1637–1711).

Thomas Ken was orphaned in childhood. He was raised by his older sister, Ann, and her husband, Izaak Walton; noted for his classic The Complete Angler.

In 1651, Ken became a scholar of Winchester College and, in 1661, received his B.A. at New College, Oxford. Such Presbyterian schooling during times of political and religious turbulence only deepened his love for the Anglican heritage of his youth.

In adulthood, Ken held various church and academic positions. He even served as chaplain to Princess Mary until he stood firmly against, in George Crawford’s words, “a case of immorality at the Court.”

Later, Ken became chaplain to Charles II. But he would not let his house be used to lodge the royal mistress. This time, instead of being dismissed, Ken was rewarded for his courage with a bishopric.

Until becoming Bishop of Bath and Wells in 1684, Ken spent most of his life intertwined with Winchester, both College and Cathedral. There the small-statured prelate, through preaching and music, sought to uplift the spiritual lives of his students.

In 1674, Ken published A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College. In it, he charged his readers to “be sure to sing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your chamber devoutly.” These hymns were, evidently, already in private circulation.

In the 1695 edition, the words to these hymns (and a “Midnight Hymn”) were published as an appendix. The “Doxology” we sing today was the closing stanza of each of these three hymns (“Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun,” “All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night,” and “My God, I Now from Sleep Awake”).

In a 1709 edition, Ken changed “Praise him above ye Angelic Host” to “Praise him above, ye heavenly host,” and the lines reached their final form. The world had gained a priceless instrument of praise.

Praise God!

RefRev

Many of my sermons convey messages similar to traffic signs; Stop, U-turn, and Keep Right. - M.L. Herring

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

God never contradicts reason, he transcends it. - Oswald Chambers

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectations. - Andrew Murray

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The lie of the Devil consists of this: that he wishes to make man believe that he can live without God's word. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As Reformed Believers (A Quick Review)

As Reformed believers we should believe the final authority for our faith is the Bible--known as the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God.  As the Apostle Paul shares in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

As Reformed believers we should believe that God is three in one--God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. These persons of the trinity are one in essence, essential in nature, in purpose, and in agreement. In other words God is only one being, not three. There is only one God! Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

As Reformed believers we should hold a Reformed perspective regarding the work of Jesus Christ, seeing it as the centered of our understanding of the love and justice of God toward us. It is here we experience his atoning work, see John 3:16 and Romans 3:25. Through his death Christ died as a sacrifice for our sins. He died as a propitiation, to remove from us the wrath of God. In his death he reconciled us with God and redeemed us out of the bondage of sin.

As Reformed believers we should believe we are saved by the irresistible grace of God through faith alone, not by what we think or do to earn God's favor, see Ephesians 2: 1-10. Our good works don't earn our salvation, but are a way to thank God for this free gift of salvation.

As Reformed believers we should believe in the Reformed tradition of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. They remind us of God's promises and help us to claim those promises as our own. These sacraments are an outward sign of an inward act in the life of the believer.

As Reformed believers we should be confessional, which means we believe we have statements of belief, called creeds and confessions. These statements help to guide our understanding of faith and shape its practice.

As Reformed believers we should see the church as "Reformed and always reforming," seeking to know the mind of Christ as it strives to be faithful in a changing, complex, and often troubled world. The church must also be communal. “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer.     

  

As Reformed believers we should believe worship is corporate. Worship is not a performance with the minister as actor or actress and the congregation as the audience. While we must understand that there are a number of worship styles, we must never forget God is the audience and the whole congregation is involved in the service, in prayers, songs, and offerings.

As Reformed believers we must continue to move forward seeking to fulfill the call that God has placed on his people through Jesus Christ our Lord.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Faith is different from proof; the later is human, the former is a gift from God. - Blaise Pascal

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life. - Jonathan Edwards 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Faith talks the language of God. Doubt talks the language of men. - E.W. Kenyon 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't. - Blaise Pascal 

"But of Course the Enemy Will Not Meantime Be Idle."

"But of course the Enemy will not meantime be idle." So says the senior demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood; referring to God and prayer. In his book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis shares the imaginative correspondences between these two demons, regarding how the junior tempter Wormwood, might lead his human astray.

Screwtape goes on to warn Wormwood, "Whenever there is prayer there is danger of His own immediate action." What a great point of instruction, even from a demon. Prayer moves God to act on behalf of his people. I believe God always responds to our prayers, always answers. I remind myself the answer might come in the form of immediate action, a delayed response, or even no, but there is always an answer.

Screwtape continues and reveals an even greater truth, "He is cynically indifferent to the dignity of His position, and ours, as pure spirits, and to human animals on their knees He pours out self-knowledge in a quite shameless fashion." The one true, all knowing and all-powerful God, through prayer, interacts with his people with absolute abandon. God uses prayer to engage his people and share with them knowledge of Himself. He does so without contempt for their status as created beings.

In these lines Screwtape has shared with Wormwood his insight regarding the power of prayer but also his true lack of insight regarding is enemy, God. Yes, God is powerful and capable of immediate response to the prayers of his people but he is motivated to do so out of his concern for them. His love, his grace, and his mercy are the key components that bring about his response and here is where Screwtape's understanding fails.

So today let us find comfort and take hope in this: "Whenever there is prayer, there is danger of His own immediate action." God is never far from those who pray and he is never idle.  He longs to pour out knowledge of himself to his people.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Where reason cannot wade there faith may swim. - Thomas Watson

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

To become Christ-like is the only thing in the whole world worth caring for, the thing before which every ambition of man is folly and all lower achievement vain. - Henry Drummond

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The quickest way to end a quarrel is to forgive. - M.L. Herring

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Worship renews the spirit as sleep renews the day. - Richard Clark Cabot

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

We must meet the uncertainties of this world with the certainties of the world to come. - A.W. Tozer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The road to faith passes through obedience in Christ's call. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Delight in His Holiness

Jonathan Edwards once said, “A true love of God must begin with a delight in his holiness.” Wow, that might make some folks a bit uneasy by today’s standards. I can’t think of a time when I have had a comfortable conversation with someone about the holiness of God.

For many people the word’s God and holiness conjure up pictures of hard church pews, long liturgies, outdated music, and boring preachers. They are words that are not always used in the most positive manner in today’s culture.

So often when I hear the word God, it is connected to words like love, acceptance, or forgiving. Rarely do I hear God mentioned with words like sin, repentance, or righteousness. Yet I would argue that all the words I have just mentioned can be brought together in the word holiness.

If we are to truly claim we love God, we must also accept and even delight in his holiness as Edwards has stated. We cannot replace God’s holiness with a softer or more socially acceptable word or phrase. For the scriptures remind us that God is holy; and cannot be separated from his holiness for our comfort. When we acknowledge this we are also recognizing his make up, in a sense, the essence of who God is.

Yes, God is accepting, loving and righteous. Yes he forgives our sins and yes he calls us to repentance; but he does all of this from his holiness. It is because God is holy that he cannot tolerate sin, yet sought to save his creation. It is because God is holy that he opened the way of salvation through Jesus his Son. It is by his holiness that we are loved, forgiven, and accepted as heirs to his kingdom.

So let us, like Jonathan Edwards, celebrate our true love for God and take delight in his holiness. 

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him. - C.S. Lewis 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

I am the Way unchangeable; the Truth infallible; the Life everlasting. - Thomas A Kempis

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The Christian Life is not about me discovering or re-discovering Jesus. Its about me turning away from my own selfishness and following Jesus, he never left me, I just chose to ignore him. - M.L. Herring

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian. - G.K. Chesterton

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

If grace does not make us differ from other men, it is not the grace which God gives his elect. - Charles Spurgeon

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without repentance; it is baptism without the discipline of community; it is the Lord's Supper without the confession of sin; it is absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without the living, incarnate Jesus Christ. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart. - John Bunyan

A Distorted View

Many Christians today have a distorted view of the Christian life. They believe that they must be kind and patient at all times and with all types of people. Even to the point of compromising beliefs they know to be true in order to avoid hurting the feelings of another. While I believe we are called to be kind and patient whenever we can, following our Lord's example as much as possible, I do not believe this behavior should be followed at all cost. Let me explain a bit more.

Jesus was the complete example of kindness and patience, but not at the expense of spiritual truth. The gospels are full of examples where he challenged others with the truth. As Christians can we do less? While kindness and patience are important virtues, so are commitment, passion, and tough-mindedness. I believe all of these parts build a more complete follower of Christ.

Today, the church, Christianity, and Christ himself are under attack by those who scream foul every time they are challenged. These people often equate honest discussion with getting their own way. They see a disagreement as a personal attack and then revert to name calling to reframe the discussion. All of a sudden we are unkind, impatient, self-centered, or unchristian, just because we have the audacity to ask a question or disagree with a conclusion that has been drawn.

As Christians we need to be kind and patient with people but we also need to know when to take a stand. A little toughness and passion mixed with kindness and patients goes a long way. To be tough, to be committed, does not mean we are in conflict with the teachings of our Lord, but that we hold his teachings to be true and eternal. In order for toughness to accomplish its task it must be paired with a sense of proper timing and always grounded in truth.

Here , so often, I think of these words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "The good is for us always only that which has been wrested from evil."

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Holiness is not exemption from conflict, but victory through conflict. - G. Campbell Morgan

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The ultimate test of our spirituality is the measure of our amazement at the grace of God. - D. Martyn Loyd-Jones

Counting the Cost

 The grace that comes with the Christian life is costly grace! Yes, it is transforming and powerful, but we must never forget it also came at a price. It is easy, in our circle of believing friends to talk about grace, but we very rarely speak how costly this grace is. Often someone will remind us that grace is a gift that God offers to all who will come to him through Christ, and this is true. But we must also understand that the giver paid a price for the gift, God's price was his Son.

A costly gift can also prove costly for the one receiving the gift. As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to live as his disciples. Our lives are no longer our own but belong to the Savior and here is where we experience the cost of the gift. Here is where we must understand that to follow Jesus we will pay a price. The bigger question is this, are we willing to count the cost?

Are we open to be challenged by friends or family over our new "religious views"? Are we strong enough to walk away from relationships that do not honor God? Are we able to stand up to the mocking of others? Yes, grace is a gift but following Jesus can prove to be it a costly gift.

We Christians are justified by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. However, we must understand it is grace through Jesus Christ, not through any other association or any actions of anyone other than Christ. And let us remember it is costly grace. When I think about this costly grace I am often reminded of a phrase spoken by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book The Cost of Discipleship, "The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Jesus."

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

We must meet the uncertainties of this world with the certainty of the world to come. - A.W. Tozer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom, folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God. - John Calvin 

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go see one. – C.S. Lewis

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

He who denies the existence of God has some reason for wishing that God did not exist.”- Augustine of Hippo

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation. - C.S. Lewis

Ouch!

One of my greatest failings as a Christian is my ability to see faults in other people while not recognizing or acknowledging my own. On the rare occasion when I am being honest about my own areas of struggle I usually tell myself that my faults are not on the same level as those other people I know.

While I may find some comfort in this attitude it puts me in direct conflict with my Lord. Jesus addressed this very issue in Matthew 7:3 when he asks the question, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Ouch! But the question is relevant, even if I do not like its directness. Why do I do this? Or maybe even a better question would be, what gives me the right?

Sin is always difficult to discuss because I have become so adapted at rationalizing my own sins while judging the severity or depth of the faults I perceive in others.  This will always put in direct conflict with the faith I profess – with the Christ I claim to follow.

A true recognition of sin starts with the reality that I am a sinner. My faith should encourage me to take a good look at myself, for it is here changes must be made. I must remember the famous words of John Newton, “I once was blind but now I see,” and realize my blindness is caused by my sin but grace has rescued me. I must understand that to acknowledge my own sin is to confirm that the Spirit of God dwells in me.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The walk of a disciple is gloriously difficult, but 
       gloriously certain. - Oswald Chambers

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

First of all, the evangelical is one who is entirely subservient to the Bible. This is true of every evangelical. He is a man of one book; he starts with it; he submits himself to it; this is his authority. -  D. Martyn Loyd-Jones

The Complete Truth

People love to talk about the importance of truth. We look upon truth as a commodity to be greatly admired and desired in others. However, it is an area of life where our greatest struggles take place. We all know how difficult it can be to open our lives and our hearts up to others, even those we love. Yes truth is something we all greatly seek but it seem so elusive.

Yet here is where I would like to make an observation with regards to the truth we all long to for. It has been my experience that there is no greater realization of truth than when I open my struggles up to God and confess them honestly to him in prayer. In prayer my sins of omission and commission can be laid before him. Here in my embarrassment, my struggle, and my pain, I can rediscover this life's greatest truth. Yes, I know I am a sinner, but the greatest truth is not found in my sin. It is found in the fact that through Jesus Christ I am a forgiven sinner.

God is holy and his holiness brings all my sins into the light. But I must never forget that because of my relationship with Jesus Christ I am forgiven. In prayer, as I open my life up to God, I experience life's greatest miracle, the exposure of my sins and the forgiveness of my God. Forgiveness in the fullest sense because Christ died for me.

So let the struggle for truth continue, let it rage in the deepest recesses of my heart. Yet let not my heart be troubled, for Christ died for me. That is the truth, the complete truth, and it has set me free.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"Complete truthfulness is only possible where sin has been
  uncovered and forgiven by Jesus." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

“The soul that feeds on tainted truth cannot grow fat and healthy.”  William Gurnall

Something to Think About

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in 
  all circumstances, for this is God's will for you 
     in Christ Jesus.  - Thessalonians 5:16-18

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons. -  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Test Me!

Some phrases in the Scriptures make me uncomfortable! Yes, the Scriptures speak to all, even ministers, and certain phrases more than get my attention. One of those passages is Psalm 26:3 where David says, “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.” I believe David is asking for more than just a test of his faith here, much more.

If we as believers really want to know whether our faith is real then we must look to the place it should occupy in our lives. It is not enough to know the truth and believe the truth; there is more required. It is still possible to know the truth yet still be wrong in God’s sight.

Right now you might be thinking that this pastor is not swinging in the right tree, but hear me out. People put forth a public faith all the time. They sing and say ‘Amen’ in worship. They know the language of faith and God always seems to be on their lips. Yet, this is not true faith; it is nothing more than a superficial faith. It is religion at its best but it is not a relationship with God.

Faith, if it is authentic, flows from our relationship with Jesus Christ and is guided by the Holy Spirit. It runs through our heads but rests in our hearts. It takes hold of our very being and influences our choices and decisions. It will occupy our hearts and resonates in our soul. It will allow us to look truthfully at our sin yet help us understand that through Jesus Christ we have been freed from the power of sin. It is a real faith, it is an authentic faith, and it begins and ends with our faith in Jesus Christ.

It is a deep-seated faith that will produce repentance, hope, love, humility, kindness, and unselfishness. It is alive, it is active, and it abides in our hearts. So it might be that David is not being over- confident in his request, just a bit more honest than I would be. Maybe he is saying Lord test my faith, measure it honestly, and I will not flinch because it flows from my heart and the deep recesses of my soul. It has been birthed out of the truth that you love me and it is in that truth I will abide.

Maybe there is more comfort in David’s words than I originally thought. Maybe I should call out to God with a similar request: Lord test my faith, I want to know if my heart is where it should be. Do it now, the sooner the better!

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Prayer, in many ways, is the supreme expression of our
    faith in God. - D. Martyn Loyd-Jones

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life
       wholly yielded to him. -  Andrew Murray

The First Divine Service of My Day

Prayer is the heartbeat of the believer’s life. It is talked about and written about more than any other subject in the Christian faith. Yet it is an area of struggle for most of us if we are being honest.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian, once wrote “Prayer is the first divine service in the day.” Most of us would wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Yet our struggle with prayer continues.

Within my own heart I know that prayer should never be peripheral in my life as a believer. It is essential and must stand at the core of my relationship with God. So I continue to struggle but I also continue to pray.

It is true that much of my prayer life is self-centered and even petty at times. However, I continue to rest on the fact that my God knows me like no other and that also includes my deepest desire to push past my own selfishness and seek him. As I pray I am reminded of the sacrifice of my Lord Jesus Christ. The indwelling of the Spirit moves me and I am able to push past my own struggles and focus on my relationship with the one, true, living God. So I continue to pray, not because I have mastered this spiritual discipline but because my need is so great. And in my great need I meet my great heavenly Father who embraces me as his child.

So I continue to pray, not because I have to, but because I need to. Not because it is a requirement in the Christian Life but because I have found it to be a necessity in my life and the first divine service of my day.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the 
            difficulties.  -  Oswald Chambers