Have you seen Jesus lately? - - by Charles Spurgeon

"But they did not know who He was." Luke 24:16

The disciples ought to have recognized Jesus, they had heard His voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is amazing that they did not know Him. Yet is it not so with you also? Have you seen Jesus lately? You have been to His table--and you have not met Him there. You are in a dark trouble, and though He plainly says, "It is I--do not be afraid," yet you do not recognize Him. Alas! our eyes are blinded! We know His voice; we have looked into His face; we have leaned our head upon His bosom--and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying, "O that I knew where I might find Him!"

We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect His image. Yet how frequently we open that precious book--and have no glimpse of our Well-beloved! Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus walks through the glades of Scripture, and desires to commune with His people. Yet you are in the garden of Scripture--but cannot see Him, though He is always there!

Make it your prayer, "Lord, open my eyes--that I may see my Savior present with me!" It is a blessed thing to desire to see Him. But oh! it is better far to gaze upon Him! To those who seek Him--He is kind; but to those who find Him--He is precious beyond expression!

He who has deserved a hanging by Thomas Brooks

"The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and
 punishes every son whom He receives."
     Hebrews 12:6

"Why should any living man complain--when
 punished for his sins?" Lamentations 3:39
 
He who has deserved a hanging--has no
reason to charge the judge with cruelty--if
he escapes with a whipping!
 
And we who have deserved a damning--have
no reason to charge God for being too severe
--if we escape with a fatherly lashing!
 
"God disciplines us for our good---that we
 may share in His holiness." Hebrews 12:10

John Piper's Christian Hedonism

Hedonism is the devotion to pleasure as a way of life. For a hedonist pleasure is the highest good and your goal in life is to seek happiness. I find it strange then that John Piper encourages people to be Christian Hedonists. The two terms seem kind of opposite to me, because Christians follow Christ, and hedonists follow pleasure. But John Piper says a Christian Hedonist is one who believes that their chief end is to "glorify God by enjoying Him forever". This is not a new concept that he just came out with. But a 20 year old idea that John Piper has been using since (or before) he began his ministry Desiring God.

I want to say before I begin that I like John Piper and his preaching. I believe that he is right on alot of issues. My purpose for writing this is not to bash or speak badly about him. My intent is to bring to light things that I find strange or peculiar in Piper's theology. The article that I'll be referring to is found here.

I'll start out with this quote:

"Christian Hedonism says more, namely, that we should pursue happiness, and pursue it with all our might. The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon the pursuit of your own joy you cannot love man or please God - that's what makes Christian Hedonism controversial."

What makes no sense to me is how we are called to take up our cross and follow Christ, as well as deny ourselves (Matt. 16:24) and do both only in the goal of seeking joy for ourselves. How is God glorified if we seek our own happiness through doing good deeds only for the rewards? Are we not supposed to obey God because He commanded us to do so? It seems to me that good deeds should flow out of a love and thankfulness to God because of Christ's sacrifice. (Titus 2:14) The promise of rewards should just be a bonus and not the goal.


"Sunday at 11 a.m., Hebrew 11:6 enters combat with Immanuel Kant. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." You cannot please God if you do not come to him as rewarder. Therefore, worship which pleases God is the hedonistic pursuit of God in whose presence is fullness of joy and in who hand are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)."

I am very confused by this quote. Mainly in that John Piper says that we cannot please God unless we come to Him as a rewarder. A rewarder is to give a reward. I had to look that definition up to make sure that I understood this right. Even after looking it up I still don't understand what Piper means by it. What do we have to reward God with? I suppose we can offer Him praise or devote our lives to Him. But how is that a reward?

The main issue I have with Christian Hedonism is that it takes joy and puts it at the forefront of sanctification. Joy is not the only fruit of the Spirit. There is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, thankfulness, goodness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22) As you can see, joy is not the only fruit that the Holy Spirit grows in us. If joy is given by God, then why should we seek joy over God? It is like putting the cart before the horse! I know that Piper says that we glorify God by enjoying Him forever. But when you read what his article says about Christian Hedonism, it is as though John Piper encourages you to only seek the joy that God provides.

That is the majority of what I find strange with John Piper's Christian Hedonism. If you are interested in this subject, you can also check out this article written by Dr. Peter Masters concerning Christian Hedonism. Dr. Masters is the pastor at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London.(For those of you who don't know, the Metropolitan Tabernacle is the church at which C.H. Spurgeon was the pastor.) Dr. Masters article is what got me thinking about this subject. This is an interesting quote from his article:

"When delight is everything, doctrine suffers a setback. When subjective emotions are unduly elevated, the proving and testing of all things become impossible. On charismatic matters, and on modern worship matters also, Dr. Piper is - to put it gently - an unsafe shepherd, and the fault lies not in his Bible, nor in his capacities, but in his system. As the better aspects of his ministry earn respect from his readers, so the poor guidance on potentially disastrous issues will mislead them."

I agree with him that Piper's emotion driven concept is dangerous. I believe that Dr. Masters' has a lot of good points in his article. But I would not go as far as saying that John Piper is an unsafe shepherd. I suggest that when we use any of John Piper's resources that we eat the meat and leave the bones.

A Christian's Way and Words by Theodore Cuyler

Lately, I have noticed a fair amount of people coming to my blog in search of either information or quotes from Theodore Cuyler. As the title implies I will be posting another quote from him. But I'm also going to post some information on him.

"Theodore Cuyler graduated from Princeton Seminary in 1846, and after entering his first pastorate in Burlingham, New Jersey witnessed a remarkable revival. In 1853 Mr. Cuyler moved to New York City into the Market Street Dutch Reformed Church, where he was instrumental in another revival. Eventually, in 1860, Cuyler went to Brooklyn where he pastored and built what was then the largest Presbyterian Church in America. Mr. Cuyler was also well acquainted with many successful preachers, such as Horatius Bonar, C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody and Charles G. Finney."
 (Information borrowed from http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/prepare/pastor.html)

That is all that I know about Theodore Cuyler. If anyone has more information on him, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd share it with me. Or if anyone has a picture of him, I'd be grateful if you can send that to me as well.

________________________________________________________________
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers

 and pilgrims--to abstain from fleshly lusts,
 which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11

Here on earth, I am but a pilgrim--a transient
lodger, for this world is not my rest. I am seeking
for and pressing towards, the magnificent city with
eternal foundations--a city designed and built by
Almighty God!

"Do not be conformed to this world; but
 be transformed by the renewing of your
 mind." Romans 12:2

The world around us has its unwritten code of
morals and of manners. It sets up its standards
and fixes its fashions to suit itself. But they are
no rule for the Christian. Jesus has "chosen us
out of the world," and given His own life to be
our standard and our pattern. "If you love Me,"
said our loving Redeemer, "keep My
commandments."

The first question of a Christian should be,
"What does my Master command? Would He
approve my style of living, my amusements,
my temper, my whole daily conduct? If so,
that is enough! I am not to copy the behavior
of this world--when sinful customs make their
claims, or worldly seductions offer their bribes.
I am Christ's servant!"

As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so much higher should a Christian's ways
and words and whole conduct--be above
the ways of the world!

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test
 me and know my thoughts. Point out anything
 in me that offends You, and lead me along the
 path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24

God's Mowing Machine by Theodore Cuyler

I don't particularly like to post two Grace Gems right after each other.
But I have been busy working on a book review and haven't had time to work on another post. So here is another Grace Gem by Theodore Cuyler.
______________________________________________________

Isaiah 48:10

"I have refined you in the furnace of affliction."

Some afflictions are sent by God--to purify character. God sits as a Refiner beside His furnace. He heats it until the metal melts--and the dross surfaces and is taken away. He keeps His silver in the furnace--until He can see His own face reflected in the clear metal of the heart. Then the affliction has done its work. There is such a wretched amount of self-will and pride and covetousness and unbelief even in the best of Christians--that they require the refining-furnace very often.

It is a wholesome process--to be "mowed down" occasionally. The grass in every lawn requires to be cut down by a mower. The oftener it is mowed--the richer and the thicker is the growth. The lawn never looks so beautiful, as after the sharp-edged mower has gone over it. I have observed that some Christians have never appeared so attractive in their humility and heavenly-mindedness, as when God's mowing-machine has been passed over them!

A Heathenish Habit by Theodore Cuyler

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty,
reigns!" Revelation 19:6

In nothing are we all apt to make more terrible blunders,
than in looking at God's providential dealings. Even
some Christians have a heathenish habit of talking
about "good luck" and "windfalls" and "bad fortune,"
and other expressions which convey the idea that this
life is a mere game of chance!

Blind unbelief may be expected to err, and to scan God's
work as either a riddle or a muddle. But a Christian ought
to know better!

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the
Almighty, reigns!" Revelation 19:6

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Why is it, that we only pray for the persecuted church once a year? Or just pray for them one week out of a year? Our brothers and sisters in Christ aren't persecuted only one Sunday out of the year. They are being persecuted on a regular basis and need our prayers.

1 Peter 5:8-9
"{8} Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. {9} Resist him steadfast in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."

Yet instead of praying for our brotherhood, we selfishly focus on our own lives. We focus on ourselves and pray for ourselves and our immediate family. While our brothers and sisters are being persecuted for Christ's sake.

I openly admit that I forget regularly to pray for them. I'll have things come up and forget. But life is no excuse for lack of prayer. We should be praying to our heavenly Father constantly for Him to strengthen His children. We should plead with Him that He would give them strength to endure. That He would give them the grace they need. And to grow in them in holiness. We should be like Paul in his letter to the church at Colosse.


Colossians 1:3
" We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
praying always for you."


Instead of praying for the persecuted church just today. We should use this day as a stepping stone in order to start praying for our family in Christ always.

When He discovers repulsive things in us by J.R. Miller

 

"Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end!" John 13:1

 Jesus takes us as we are, and does not get weary of us--whatever faults and sins He discovers in us. There is infinite comfort in this for us. We are conscious of our faults, blemishes and infirmities; and the unworthiness and the unloveliness which is in our souls. Many of us have pages in our biography, which we would not dare to spread out before the eyes of anyone!

There are in our inner heart--feelings, desires, longings, cravings, jealousies, motives--which we would not feel secure in laying bare to our dearest, truest, and most patient and gentle friend. Yet Christ knows them all. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. To Him there is perfect revealing of the innermost springs of our being. Yet we need not be afraid that His friendship for us will change, or grow less, or withdraw itself--when He discovers repulsive things in us. Yet He loves us--loves unto the uttermost! Christ loves us not according to our worthiness--but according to the richness of His own gracious heart!

 "May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should--how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it!" Ephesians 3:18-19

Exercises of Sin and Grace by John Newton

Alas, how vain is man! What a contradiction is a believer to himself!

If I were to describe him from the Scriptural portrait--I would say that he is one whose heart is athirst for God, for His glory, and for His presence; that his affections are fixed upon an unseen Savior; that his treasures, and consequently his thoughts, are on eternal realities, far beyond the bounds of sense. Having experienced much God's forgiveness, he is full of mercy and forgiveness to all around. Having been often deceived by his own heart, he dares trust it no more--but lives by faith in the Son of God--for wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, and derives from Him grace upon grace; sensible that without Him--he has not sufficiency even to think a good thought! In short--he is dead to the world, to sin, to self; but alive to God, and lively in His service. Prayer is his breath, the Word of God is his food, and Christ is more precious to him than the light of the sun. Such is a believer--in his judgment and prevailing desires.

But was I to describe him from his actual experience, especially at some times--how different would the picture be!

Though he knows that communion with God is his highest privilege, he too seldom finds it so; on the contrary, if duty, conscience, and necessity did not compel him--he would leave the throne of grace unvisited from day to day!

He takes up the Bible, conscious that it is the fountain of life and true comfort; yet perhaps, while he is making the reflection, he feels a secret distaste, which prompts him to lay it down, and give his preference to a newspaper!

He needs not to be told of the vanity and uncertainty of the world, and all beneath the sun; and yet he is almost as much elated or cast down by a trifle--as those who have their only portion in this world!

He believes that all things shall work together for his good, and that the most high God appoints, adjusts, and overrules all of his concerns; yet he feels the risings of fear, anxiety, and displeasure, as though the contrary was true!

He owns himself to be ignorant, and liable to be deceived by a thousand fallacies; yet he is easily betrayed into flattering views of himself, and self-conceit! He feels himself to be an unprofitable, unfaithful, unthankful servant--and therefore blushes to harbor a thought of desiring the esteem and commendations of men--yet he cannot suppress it!

By these exercises of sin and grace--the Lord teaches us more truly to know and feel the utter depravity and corruption of our whole nature--that we are indeed defiled in every part! His method of salvation is hereby exceedingly endeared to us! We see that it is and must be of grace, wholly of grace; and that the Lord Jesus Christ, and His perfect righteousness, is and must be--our all in all.

God's power likewise, in maintaining His own work, notwithstanding our infirmities, temptations, and enemies--is hereby displayed in the clearest light; His strength is manifested in our weakness!

Satan likewise, is more remarkably disappointed and put to shame--when he finds bounds set to his rage and wiles, beyond which he cannot pass; and that those in whom he finds so much evil to work upon, and over whom he so often prevails for a season--escape at last out of his hands!
He casts them down--but they are raised again!
He wounds them--but they are healed!
He obtains his desire to sift them as wheat--but the prayer of their great Advocate prevails for the maintenance of their faith!

Further, by what believers feel in themselves--they learn by degrees how to warn, pity, and bear with others. A soft, patient, and compassionate spirit, and a readiness and skill in comforting those who are cast down--is not perhaps attainable in any other way!

I believe that nothing more habitually reconciles a child of God to the thought of death, than the wearisomeness of this warfare with sin and temptation. Death is unwelcome to human nature. But the Christian knows that not until death--will the conflict cease! Then we shall sin no more! The flesh, with all its attendant evils, will be laid in the grave. Then the soul, which has been partaker of a new and heavenly birth, shall be freed from every encumbrance, and stand perfect in the Redeemer's righteousness before God in eternal glory! When we see Jesus, we shall be transformed into His image--and be done with sin and sorrow forever!

The Impossiblity of the Law

The law is impossible for us to obey. There is absolutely no way that we, by ourselves could follow it. It would be like trying to climb to Heaven on a rope of sand. It is impossible because of our nature. Our nature is sin FULL. We're not sinners because we sin, we sin because we're sinners. We cannot do anything aside from it. The law was designed to crush our pride so that we would humble ourselves and look unto Christ.



Galatians 3:24

" Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith."

Imagine this, you're holding a little baby in your arms. The baby sees your shining watch and grabs for it. You pull his hand away and tell him no. He reaches again and you say no, the baby starts crying. He reaches again and you grab his hand once again and say no. The baby starts to cry and flail his arms even in the direction of your face. Now imagine this, if that 18 month old baby had the strength of an 18 year old man he would slaughter you right there and take that watch. All mankind is born EVIL!!

Psalm 51:5
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me"

Genesis 6:5
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"

If our nature was not a sinful one, then there was no purpose for Christ being sacrificed on the cross. His death would've been in vain. But, His death was not in vain. He died so we might live. He gave His life so that whoever repents (That is to apologize and turn from our sins.) and trusts in Christ alone will have everlasting life.

Transcendence vs. Imminence

Transcendence-is being above and independent of the material universe. It can also be defined as lying beyond the ordinary range of perception. More simply, being preeminent or supreme.

Imminence-is being close to occurring. Synonyms of this word are nearness, coming, and convergence.

God has both of these two attributes. The transcendence of God is His "highness" and holiness.
When you go and see old cathedrals, you see how massive they are. The cathedrals were designed to make us feel small and to elevate our understanding of God's transcendent attributes. The same thing applies to old hymns and music. Hymns that are very complex and have multiple parts to it were there to represent God's transcendent attribute. J.S. Bach would compose his music for the glory of God. When you listen to the music he composed, you get the sense of mystery and reverence from the complexities in his music . The mystery in some of his music was to represent the things of God that we cannot perceive. The old hymns and cathedrals were both designed to represent God's transcendence.

While God is transcendent, He is also imminent. He is imminent in that we can relate to Him as Father. Contemporary christian music shows us the imminence of God. This style of music is not high and separate. It is close and common to us and easy to be accepted. That is what this style of music conveys. It conveys God as close and relevant to us.

While God has both of these qualities, we should not take Him lightly. We should not think of Him as one of us. Even though Christ came as a man, He was still God. When we approach God in prayer, we are coming before His throne of grace. Even though we have this privilege, we should still approach Him with reverence and awe because it is still a throne that we bow before.

(The following illustration I borrowed from Way of the Master Radio.)
Imagine that you were invited to visit the president of the United States. You go into the white house and meet him. When you would greet him you wouldn't say
"Hey dude, what's up?". You would most likely say "Hello Mr. President sir."
Even though he is still a normal person, his position makes us respect him.
Now this illustration breaks down on many levels, but the point is even though God is imminent. He is supreme and preeminent and not to be trifled with. Just as with the president, we should approach God boldly but also with reverence.


2 Corinthians 3:12
"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."

Be Grateful!

God commands the planets to orbit the sun and they obey!
He commands the earth to spin and it willfully follows His instructions!
He orders the plants to grow and be fruitful and they obey Him!
God then turns to us,
His greatest creation and says "Obey My commands."
And what do we do? We shake our little fists at Him in rebellion!
We refuse His commands and blaspheme His name!

Be grateful that God is long suffering!
Be grateful that His wrath tarries!
Be grateful that He has mercy on your soul in not punishing you today!

Next time something bad happens in this world, do not ask yourself:
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Instead consider this:
Why does God not destroy us this very second for the sins we have committed against Him!?

The purpose of God for our life on earth by J.R. Miller

We should get it settled in our minds, that the purpose of God for our life on earth, is to have us grow into Christ's image. We are not in this world merely to accomplish a certain amount of work--but to be fashioned into strength and beauty of character. If we would always remember this, we would not be perplexed so often by the mysteries of our lives.

If joy is ours--it is to make us better and a greater blessing to others.

If sorrow is ours--it is to purify us and bring out some line of Christ's image in us more clearly.

If our hopes are disappointed--it is because God has some better things for us, than that which we so earnestly desired.

If we are called to endure pain--it is because the best in us can be called out only by pain.

If bereavement comes and we are left without the strong human arm we have leaned upon heretofore--it is because there are elements of strength in our life, which never could be developed unless the human supports were taken away.

If our burdens are heavy--it is because we grow best under burdens.

If we are wronged by others--it is to teach us better, the great lessons of patience and sweet temper.

If our circumstances are uncongenial and our condition hard--it is that we may be disciplined into self-control, and may learn to be content in whatever state we are in.

The Master is always teaching us new lessons, making us into the beauty of the pattern He has set for us, and preparing us for greater usefulness and better service.

When God Dwelt Alone by Arthur Pink

Before the mountains were born, before You
gave birth to the earth and the world, from
eternity to eternity, You are God!" Psalm 90:2

There was a time, if 'time' it could be called,
when God dwelt all alone. There was no
heaven, where His glory is now particularly
manifested. There was no earth to engage
His attention. There were no angels to hymn
His praises. There was no universe to be
upheld by the word of His power. There was
nothing, no one, but God; and that, not for
a day, a year, or an age--but "from eternity."

During eternity past, God was alone:
self-contained,
self-sufficient,
self-satisfied;
in need of nothing.
Had a universe, had angels, had human beings
been necessary to Him in any way--they would
have been called into existence from all eternity.
The creating of them when He did, added nothing
to God essentially. He does not change (Mal. 3:6),
therefore His essential glory can be neither
augmented nor diminished.

"Before Him all the nations are as nothing; they
are regarded by Him as worthless and less than
nothing." Isaiah 40:17

Order in Music

By definition order is:

a methodical
arrangement
of things.

It could also be defined as a proper arrangement.
You could also say that it is similar to harmony
or symmetry.




"Good order is the foundation of all good things"
Burke

We can see that order is something God takes very seriously. We can see that from the story of Nadab and Abihu. We can also see order in God's creation or from His commands for order in His church. Order is something that is pleasing to God and is good. If we want our worship to be pleasing to God, then order should be a part of it.

2 Chronicles 5:13 says:
"Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord saying:

'For He is good For His mercy endures forever'

that the house the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud"

Notice, the trumpeters and singers were as one and made one sound. Also, the word voice is singular not plural. This verse is a clear example of order in thanking and praising God. To have multiple voices as one, takes a great deal of order and effort. The singers and trumpeters desire was for God to be glorified through their worship.

Psalm 92:3 says:
"On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound."

How do you make harmonious sound? By being unskilled and putting no effort into it?
Of course you wouldn't. That would make some type of sound but I doubt it would be harmonious. In order to make a harmonious sound, order and effort would be involved. That would be expressed in practicing with the goal of glorifying God. As well as having everything properly arranged.

Let's think about this. Worship is an act of reverence. If worship to God is not done well, then obviously no effort was put into it. If no effort was involved, then the person who offered the worship does not show reverence for Whom the worship was offered to. What a terrifying thought!!!

I'll end with this verse and thought.

1 Chronicles 25:7
"So the number of them, with their
brethren who were instructed in the songs
of the Lord, all who were skillful, was
two hundred and eighty-eight."

Music being done by skillful musicians was and still is very important in worship. So important, that 288 musicians were trained just for that purpose. It seems to me that if it was that important to the Israelites, then it should be just as or even more important for us now.

Saved for Good Works

I am going to be working on a more substantial post for tomorrow. But for today, I am posting an excerpt from A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent.

Saved for Good Works

Through the gospel I learn not only of the saving works
of God on my behalf,but I also learn that one of God's key
purposes in doing these works is to put me to work myself.

The Bible tells me that when Christ redeemed me,
He did so in order that I might now be "zealous for good works." [1]
When God "works" in me day by day, He does so in order to
produce in me the desire and the power to "work for His good pleasure."[2]
Indeed, though I am saved by grace and not by works,
I am God's "workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand so that [I] would walk in them."[3]

Being naturally lazy, I do not normally thrill at the
prospect of work; but the more I embrace the saving work
of God on my behalf, the more I find myself embracing the
works for which God saved me. And as I am "working hard"
at doing these works for the good of others, I experience the
truth of Jesus' words: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."[4]
I also find myself saying with Christ, " My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work."[5]
Indeed, gospel-motivated works do for the soul what food does for
the body. They bring refreshment, enjoyment, blessing, and
strengthening to the doer of the deeds, even more so than to the receiver.
Hence, the fact that God has prepared such works for me to do becomes
a part of what makes the gospel such great news to me.

Preaching the gospel to myself each day not only reminds
me of the love of God for me, but it also reminds me of the
love of God for the works that He has saved me to perform.
When I see the Cross, I see the premium that God places on
the works that He has prepared for me. How valuable all
of these must be if Christ would die so that I might
now perform them! And how precious are those for whom
these works are done if Christ would die that they might be served!

1.Titus 2:14 "who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless
deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds"

2. Philippians 2 "{12} So then, my beloved, just as you have always
obeyed,... work out your salvation with fear and trembling {13} for it is God who
is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.")

3. Ephesians 2:10 " For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

4. Acts 20 "{34} You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my
own needs and to the men who were with me. {35} In everything I showed you
that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the
words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to
receive.'"

5. John 4 "{32} But He said to them, ' I have food to eat that you do not know about.'
{33} So the disciples were saying to one another,
' No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?'
{34} Jesus said to them, " My food is to do the will of
Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.'"

A Book for the Unsuccessful by J.R. Miller

The Bible is indeed a book for the unsuccessful. Its sweetest messages are to those who have fallen. It is the book of love and sympathy. It is like a mother's bosom to lay one's head upon--in the time of distress or pain. Its pages teem with cheer for those who are discouraged. It sets its lamps of hope to shine in darkened chambers. It reaches out its hands of help to the fainting, and to those who have fallen. It is full of comfort for those who are in sorrow. It has its many special promises for the needy, the poor, and the bereft. It is a book for those who have failed, for the disappointed, the defeated, and the discouraged.

It is this quality in the Bible, which makes it so dear to the heart of humanity. If it were a book only for the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unfallen, those who have no sorrow, who never fail, the whole, the happy--it would not find such a welcome wherever it goes in the world. So long as there are tears and sorrows, and broken hearts, and crushed hopes, and human failures, and lives burdened and bowed down, and spirits sad and despairing--so long will the Bible be full of inspiration, light, help, and strength--for earth's weary ones.


The God of the Bible is the God of those who have not succeeded. Wherever there is a weak, stumbling Christian, unable to walk alone--to him the divine heart goes out in tender thought and sympathy; and the divine hand is extended to support him, and keep him from falling. Whenever a Christian has fallen, and lies in defeat or failure--over him bends the heavenly Father in kindly pity, to raise him up and to help him to begin again. The God of the Bible is the God of the weak, the unsheltered. Their very helplessness of His children, is their strongest plea to the divine heart.

The Importance of Order in Worship

Leviticus 10:1-3

"Now Nadab and Abihu , the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the Lord spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored" So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.

In this passage we see two sons of Aaron being immolated for not obeying God’s instruction for offering incense. Verse one says they offered “strange fire before the Lord.” The fire that they offered was not permitted by God and it was offensive to God. It was offensive to Him because they did not regard Him as holy and obey His commands. In verse three God commands that He be regarded as holy and glorified before all people.

I believe that we can use this brief narrative as a reference to see how serious we should take worshiping God. Nadab and Abihu did not take it seriously enough and were punished severely for it. By definition, worship is an act of reverence. So when we worship God with music, we should do so with reverence. In order for our worship to be pleasing to God it must have the following three characteristics. It must be done orderly, specifically, and harmoniously. I will go deeper into each subject in following posts, but for now I would like to just do an introduction to the “orderly” aspect.

If we worship God using music and put relatively no effort into it, would it be pleasing to God? OF COURSE NOT! It would be like telling a king that you would make him a beautiful crown, and throw it together the night before and then hand him a paper hat! The king would be disgusted with it. That is similar to putting no effort into worship for God. God would be displeased with it.

Let’s go back to the king analogy for a minute. Now, if you promised the king a beautiful crown and put all your possible effort into it and then gave it to him. And he knew the amount of effort involved, and then he would be more pleased than with the paper hat. That is the same as if we put all of our effort into music for God.

When all three of the characteristics are present and we have put all of our effort into it. Then it would be pleasing to God. The music with no effort would be like the “strange fire” that Nadab and Abihu offered to God. So now I ask this. What kind of fire do you want to present before the Lord? A “strange fire” or a pleasing one?

Do Hard Things... Why?

Lately I have been considering "Do Hard Things".

After watching the video series by the Harris brothers I have one disagreement with it. If all that is said is do hard things, then people will do hard things for what reason? Do Hard Things for God's glory? That is true, but seems as though the premise is what follows something else. That something else should be a love for God.

Consider this verse.

James 2:18: "But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

I am not saying that faith is interchangeable for love. I am emphasizing that works should flow out of faith. Not the other way around.

Deuteronomy 6:5
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your strength. "

If we start with loving God with all our heart, soul, and strength then works will follow. We will do the works not because it is what is not expected of us. We will do them because we love God and we want to obey his commandments.

Psalm 119:4-8

" 4 You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently.
5 Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes!
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.
7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!"