Transforming our Emotions through our Brain

Really, I would ultimately recommend getting a copy of the book, Counsel from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson. What a wonderful resource in reminding us of how the gospel is really meant to inform life.

As a follow up though to the sermon from Sunday on Grabbing a Peace from God, one area we talked about particularly was anxiety.

Fitzpatrick and Johnson wisely help us see how the gospel can even inform our struggle with anxiety when they say,

"Our experience of anxiety is a good gift when it forces our eyes away from our false treasures onto our true treasure, Jesus Christ."

Our emotions and particularly anxiety can be a gauge on how our hearts are doing in relation to believing God. Is my treasure in this moment of anxiety God or has my heart been captured by something or someone else? But if we admit the answer is yes, what do we do, how do we address our emotions? We can't just say stop being anxious.

Again, as Fitzpatrick and Johnson explain, which is what Paul is getting at in Philippians 4:8,

"The outward transformation of our feelings and actions is accomplished through the inner transformation of our mind."

We get help in changing our emotions when we think about the truths and promises of God. Things like

• I am completely forgiven through the cross
• Through Jesus I can know and trust God's plan for my life even in the midst of trials and uncertainty
• All things in my life are for my good, even though they might not seem or look good in the moment

As I think about these and other truths, my heart can then go from anxiety and worry to trust and peace. The call today then is to seize our thought life so we can transform our emotions and in so doing in greater ways, love God with all my heart, mind and strength.

Declarations and Obligations Leading to Love

In their book Counsel from the Cross, Elyze Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson help us see how the Scriptures contain both elements of obligations and declarations. Both elements are helpful in particular when we think about Paul's call to accurate self-perception from Philippians 3:12-16.

Without a true understanding of the obligations at work in the Bible that the fact that every time we open God's Word, God is speaking and laying some claim on our lives. If we don't come with this perspective, aware of real obligations of obedience in the Christian life, we can become complacent and not see the call to press on and grow in our Christian walk.

However, the conversely can also be true. When we become aware of the obligations God sets before us, we can become more concerned and even consumed with our failure to live up to these commands.

This is where the gospel declarations become so important. In Philippians 3:12, Paul tells us that we can pursue God's call to press on because, "Jesus has made me His own."

We can pursue God because, through faith in His Son we receive strength to press on. But not just that, because we are owned by God through Christ, His Son's perfect obedience is placed on us and now God does not look at us through our faltering obedience, and instead looks at us and see His perfect Son.

The result in my heart is love for God, recognizing what He has done for me and this love then motivates me to obey Him more and more.

Biblical obligations are there and bring me to my knees as I see the real call to obedience but the gospel declarations build my love for God and keep me moving towards Him.

Infinitly indebted to God and grateful

Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson in their book, Counsel from the Cross, ask this question in relation to how we view God's love.

"What make me acceptable to him?"1

To help us then understand that our works won't get us there, that it is not about being good enough, later this quote struck my heart,

"Are you trying to avoid the truth that all you can bring to him [God] is debt that must be paid for by another?"2

Everything I do creates debt with God. Whether it is my sin that taints my good works or that next breath where I don't acknowledge the Lord for the gift He has provided, my life accumulates debt with God everyday.

In talking about this with a friend too, it isn't that some days I build up less debt that others because I have read my Bible or gone to church or prayed a little longer. No, my life, my conscious existence creates debt.

But what seems like horrible news is actually great news because through Jesus not only is my debt cancelled, forever, but He creates my account with His righteousness and His perfect obedience. I, in turn am eternally grateful to God because the mountain of debt that I created has been fully and finally paid for by another.

This great news leads me to love God, to appreciate Him and worship Him more because He has through His Son paid a debt I can never repay.

The wonderful hymn from Robert Lowry concludes it wonderfully,

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Glory! Glory! This I sing—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

1 Counsel from the Cross, Elyze Fitzpatrick and Dennis J Johnson, 77

2 Ibid, 77

Psalm 16 - True Satisfaction

"The unhappy restlessness of those who go astray is doubtless to be traced to their being destitute of the true knowledge of God." John Calvin

When am I truly happy and what brings that happiness? What brings me real joy? Is it a great dessert, my sports team winning again, finding that deal at the store, a great movie, a great concert? I am too easily amused, too easily pleased, like if I have a weekend filled with [literally] great desserts, then my life is complete. But the reality is as Calvin reminds me from Psalm 16, that happiness is short lived and leads to restlessness. When that cheesecake is digested, the happiness is gone.

We need to, I need to again ask myself the question, am I finding happiness and satisfaction in other things. But if the answer today or often is yes, what is the remedy, how do I learn to find happiness in God alone?

Well, it comes first through having our emotions captivated by something greater than the creation, recognizing though that our sin and our worldview want us to settle for less. Again, as Calvin states to respond we need to,

"...set God before us and keep all our senses bound and captive [to Him] lest they break loose and run after any other object."

We live in a sensory world with a worldview that tells us to be satisfied with the material, to be happy with stuff and the pursuit of stuff. And so we need to remind our souls of the many ways God has provided and again see His unique and abundant care for me, so that my emotions will then be filled with love for God rooted in the tangible blessings He provides.

Second though, as Christians we can rest in the fact that God is helping us with this battle, again as Calvin states from Psalm 16,

"God himself has engaged to exercise His power to maintain us in the safe enjoyment of Himself, a blessing inconceivably great."

God will remind us that nothing satisfies, nothing sustains, nothing blesses, nothing protects like He does and He will not let us be satisfied with less that Himself. And when He reminds us of this we will learn increasingly to see the inconceivably great blessing that He is.

So today, where am I settling for less and how do I need reminding that nothing satisfies like the Lord?

John Calvin on Psalm 12

From verses 1-2 on how Christians are called to be a reflection of the truth

"We who would act truthfully, therefore, must be like a mirror, in which the uprighteous of our hearts may be clearly seen."

From verses 5-6 and the value of God's Word

"The illustration of silver, though far below the dignity of so great a subject, is appropriate to our limited and imperfect understanding. Yet we rarely set sufficient value on the Word of God, and in our futile thinking we can even obscure or efface the brightness shining in His promises."

Getting Angry at Myself part 2

Continuing the theme from the previous post, the second way that self-anger can play out in our lives and what it can reveal is

2. The person who is angry at himself may not see or be willing to acknowledge the depth of his own sinful nature.

A few quotes again from Robert T. Jones to help us see how this works. First, in our thought process when we get angry at ourselves, we can be thinking,

"I still can't believe that I-I, a good moral person, I, the great I - actually did such a dastardly thing.", Uprooting Anger, 133

As Jones then wisely points out, this thought reveals,
"Your self-anger may simply be the result of naively believing that you are better than you are really are." Ibid, 133

Sometimes when I get mad at myself, I will hear myself say that I should have known better, but to say that can reveal that I think I can do well enough on my own. My failure reminds me of my need for God's strength again, His enablement and a reminder of my need for the forgiveness Christ provided through His death and resurrection. When I sin, it reminds me again that I'm a sinner, and instead of thinking that I should have known better, I can rest in one who not only knew better but did better, He lived perfection and gave that perfection to me through His death.
My self-anger reveals that I'm worse than I thought but the cross shows me that it can be and is better than I could have hoped for.

Getting Angry at Myself

I am going through the book Uprooting Anger by Robert T. Jones, and yesterday I came to the chapter about getting angry at ourselves. I was tempted to skip over this chapter because on the surface I didn't think this was an issue in my life. Thank God that He prompted me to go through this chapter, because it has convicted and confronted me about many areas of my life where this self-anger is at work. Over the next couple of days, I will share the lessons from the chapter on where this struggle can creep in.

Today, the first instruction

1. The person who is angry with himself may simply be expressing his inability or unwillingness to grasp and receive God's forgiveness.

Jones describes that this can happen when, "I'm mad at me because, while my conscience tells me I deserve punishment, in my unbelief I do not see God's judgment and forgiveness concurrently poured out on me." Uprooting Anger, Robert T. Jones, 131.

Later, he says also that, "Perhaps the person [struggling with self-anger] has not gripped the scope and depth of God's forgiving grace and power." Uprooting Anger, 131.

Let me play out how this can work. We sin, we get angry at our spouse or our roommate or a co-worker and then later become convicted of our sin. However, instead of turning to the cross, remembering the forgiveness and grace to obey purchased there, we beat ourselves up, thinking we should have known better and so there is something I need to do to be better next time. Without bringing the cross into view though, this battle and self-anger will repeat itself because there is nothing I can do in myself to remedy the problem and the guilt that ensues from self-anger will lead me away from the only sure remedy, Jesus as I focus more on myself.

If there is a sin we committed today or one that we committed recently and we are walking around angry at ourselves, condemning ourselves that "it" happened again, might we remember the true remedy for sin, the remedy that takes guilt and judgment away, Jesus Christ.

Dying to Serve

"We can imagine no higher degree of perfection than that which is here set before us. To take patiently whatever God sends, - to like nothing but what God likes, - to wish nothing but what God approves, - to prefer pain, if it please God to send it, to ease, if God does not think fit to bestow it, - to lie passive under God's hand, and to know no will but His, - this is the highest stand at which we can aim, and of this our Lord's conduct in Gethsemane is a perfect pattern.

"Let us strive and labour to have 'the mind that was in Christ' in this matter. Let us daily pray and endeavour to be enabled to mortify our self-will. - It is for our happiness to do so.

Nothing brings us so much misery on earth as having our own way. - it is the best proof of real grace to do so. Knowledge, and gifts, and convictions, and feelings, and wishes, are all very uncertain evidences. They are often to be found in unconverted persons. But a continually increasing disposition to submit our own wills to the will of God, is a far more healthy symptom. It is a sign that we are really 'growing in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ."

JC Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Mark, from Mark 14:32-42

We learned from Sunday's message that true living consists in serving others. Whenever we find that hard, let us not forget Gethsemane and that Jesus humble obedience in that moment is our great example but also forms the basis for our ability to serve Him and others.

He who finds a wife

Proverbs 18:22

He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord

9 years ago today, the Lord provided me with a good thing, a great thing in my wife Melanie and I have been blessed by favor from the Lord through her consistently through these last nine years.

It is amazing and humbling that Mel has joyfully followed me as we have trusted the Lord through what my calling and ministry life would look like. I am doing what I love and feel called to do, and she is giving up desires, dreams, lovingly and joyfully to follow a sinner like me.

She regularly prays for me, shares how God is using me to teach her and care for her.

She is patient with me as I learn to trust God and grow in being a more godly husband to her and for her. She does an amazing job caring for our daughter, caring for the ladies in our church and is an example to me in numerous ways.

I am convinced that when we meet our Savior one day, there will be many more crowns awaiting her for the sacrifices she has made through these 9 years and for the simple and yet joy filled ways she has served and followed the Savior.

I am blessed she is in my life and I am blessed to call her my wife.

His Presence in our Troubles

"We make a mistake when we measure our potential to deal with difficulty by the size and duration of the problem. We should be measuring our potential according to the size of God's provision and the promise of his eternal presence. Even in the deepest difficulty, we are never without resources. We are never alone." Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp, Relationships a Mess Worth Making, 40

This quote is given within the context of understanding relational issues and struggles we will face but it holds equally true in all the difficulties of life.

Whatever struggle, burden, trial or hardship we are facing, I pray you remember that God's presence and promises go with you in the midst.

Closing the Gap

We live in an information age and in many ways it is a blessing. With the click of a button, we can download sermons, order great theological books and end up on blogs [like the one you are reading right now]. All of these tools can be helpful as they give us more information, more insight in the Christian life that we are called to live. But James 1:22 warns us of the problem that can happen when we simply become information gatherers

"But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

So what are we to do? How do we avoid being hearers only. Well, one thing we do at church is provide the context called care groups. Care groups are a mid-week meeting that allows us the opportunity to digest and walk through the sermon together. And really, this is how I would describe the care group context, it is helping us close the gap between theology and practice. Because again being in an information age, the problem is not more information. No, instead it is learning in community to apply what we already know and in doing, help us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

Because as Iain H. Murray in describing John Calvin's [which is really James 1:22 at work] understanding of doctrine said,

"Truth is only rightly believed to the extent that it is embodied in life." taken from John Calvin, A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine and Doxology, xvi

Or again as Calvin said himself in his Institutes,

"We have given the first place to the doctrine in which our religion is contained, since our salvation begins with it. But it must enter into our hearts and pass into our daily conduct and so transform us into itself so as not to prove unfruitful." [Instititues 3.6.4]

Care groups are simply one of those contexts that help doctrine pass into daily conduct and close that gap from information to practice.

The Human Element of Scripture

When we read through the gospels, perhaps if you like me, one element of the story that we can overlook is the human element at work.
I was reminded of this recently, reading Mark 7:24-30. There we see the historical account of a woman coming to Jesus to ask for healing for her daughter, and as JC Ryle describes,

"The woman who came to our Lord, in the history now before us, must doubtless have been in deep affliction. She saw a beloved child possessed by an unclean spirit. She saw her in a condition in which no teaching could reach the mind, and no medicine could heal the body, - a condition only one degree better than death itself...She prays for one who could not pray for herself, and never rests till her prayer is granted." JC Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Mark, 145

Imagine being this mother, at the end of her rope, with nowhere else to turn for help.

The Scriptures are full of these accounts of real people, facing real struggles and how God cares for them and loves them in the midst. So let us not forget that element as we read the Bible and see real people facing real struggles and take heart that we are not alone in the trials and hardships we face, others have walked before us, and God continues to walk with us.

Holiness is Hard Work

"Deep within the American psyche is the 1960's Romantic idea, originally from Emerson and Rousseau, that if something doesn't feel natural, it isn't real. We think spiritual things - if done right - should just flow. But if you have a disability, nothing flows, especially in the beginning."

Paul A Miller, A Praying Life, 222

As we set out our deliberate prayers for the year, there can be this temptation to think that these things should just come naturally or that this work of change and growth is just too hard and too much work. As Miller describes in the context of using prayer tools, the disability we have as Christians is sin and thus everything related to holiness will come with work as we battle against the sin that remains in us.

But as we set out to grow in areas of prayer, encouragement, service and evangelism in the year ahead, remember two things

1. The battle is proof that God is working in you as the Spirit wars against our sin in the pursuit of holiness
2. Jesus through His death and resurrection gives us access to His strength and wisdom that will help us grow

But as we go forward, let us not think that this pursuit will be a a cakewalk and let's not give up when the opposition comes and might that form one of our encouragements for each other as we walk through this year together.

Figuring out Prayer Paralyzes Prayer

Lord willing come the fall we are going to do a book club starting with this book and I hope through these quotes, that I am wetting your appetite.

Paul Miller again in his book, A Praying Life says that one of the reasons that we don't pray more is because we try to figure out prayer and the result is that in trying to figure out how prayer works, we don't pray,

"Prayer is strikingly intimate. As soon as you take a specific answer to prayer and try to figure out what caused it, you lose God. We simply cannot see the casual connections between our prayer and what happens."

He goes on to say,

"The only way to know how prayer works is to have complete knowledge and control of the past, present, and future. In other words, you can figure out how prayer works if you are God."

So today, let us know not try and figure out how prayer works, instead let's pray and trust and rejoice as He answers.

Real Conversations with God

Wow! I could just fill the blog today with quotes from this amazing, yet wonderfully simple book on prayer, Paul Miller's, The Praying Life. I will roll out a few today but start with this one on how we ask God for things.

" Christians rush to 'not my will, but yours be done' without first expressing their hearts [Luke 22:42]. They submit so quickly that they disappear. Overspiritualizing prayer suppresses our natural desire that our house not be burned. When we stop being ourselves with God, we are no longer in real conversations with God." Paul Miller, The Praying Life, 122

He then wraps up this discussion on asking by stating, "Desire and surrender are the perfect balance to praying."

Believing in the sovereignty of God can sometimes squash our desires in our prayer lives and as Miller points out, the result is that we don't have real conversations about what we want with God. Desire and surrender are the perfect balance, but let us not forget desire in the equation. Let us not think that if we honestly bring our needs and wants to God that we are being selfish. Because when we bring desires to God we are laying them down, placing them as His feet and then trusting that His way, His plan will be better than ours.

So today, what is something you want?

When you think of that, then think and act, how can I have a real conversation with God about that want, laying it down before Him, surrendering that real, honest want knowing that talking to Him is the act of surrender.

Our Sympathetic Saviour

The heart and mind and will of our Lord has been moulded - shall we not say forged? - in the furnace of temptation and suffering. And it was in virtue of what he had learned in that experience of temptation and suffering that he was able, at the climactic point fixed by the arrangements of infallible wisdom and everlasting love, to be obedient unto death, even the death on a cross. It was only as having learned obedience in the path of inerrant and sinless discharge of the Father's will that his heart and mind and will were framed to the point of being able freely and voluntarily to yield up his life in death upon the accursed tree." 

John Murray, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied

Murray beautifully points out in explaining Hebrews 2:10-18 and 5:8-10, that as Jesus walked this earth in obedience to His father, withstanding temptations, He became more aware of in fact why He was called to die. In other words, when He saw our sinful state first hand, He embraced the call to the cross.
As Jesus walked this earth, He saw the temptations and suffering we face and the many sins we fall into and it was His perfect obedience in the midst of this that made Him the "all-sufficient and perfect Saviour."

Immanent in Suffering

Recently, in talking with some pastor friends about how to care for people in suffering. Particularly, we were discussing from a book one of them was reading about how to appropriately comfort people who are suffering with God's sovereignty and providence.
Though I agree that both of those provide comfort to those struggling and in trials, I can't explain it any other way other than saying it was perhaps a revelation of knowledge in the moment that the great help and support to the suffering saints around us first is God's immanence.
Yes it is comforting to know that God is in control and that all things happen for a reason and we can get to those things, but to know that God walks with us through every pain and in fact as Christians we can know that God walks in us by His diving presence of the Holy Spirit.
His promise to not leave us or forsake us [Deut. 31:6 and Heb. 13:5] is a great promise to cling to when cares, sins and pain can sometimes leave us wondering where God is in the midst of it all.
If you are struggling today, I pray this truth pours grace and help into your life and if we know of those around us in the midst of agony and hurt, may God use us to remind them of our immanent God.

The Remedy of Hope

"Neighbors ought to tell neighbors, if they have found an unfailing remedy in time of plague. Christians out to tell others that they have found medicine for their souls, if they see them ignorant and dying for want of it." JC Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Mark - from Mark 4:21-25

No matter how hard this life gets, no matter what trials we face, those who have come to trust in the good news of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection have the sure hope of heaven that awaits them. This is the only real medicine for the soul because everything in this life will leave us empty in the end. Jobs, money and even earthly relationships will let us down. But to know that one day, we can stand face to face with the one who has purchased the blessing of eternal life, receiving bodies that never get sick and never die and to know that we can hope and trust in that day as a certain promise is news that can revive us in the midst of every struggle in this life.
Let us then listen and be aware of how and where we can administer this remedy to those around us. If I love those around me, sharing this medicine will be a demonstration of that love.

Love as the Fruit of Wisdom

"Let us see that our knowledge has a sanctifying influence on our affections and our lives. Let us not only know Christ but love Him, from a sense of actual benefit received from Him. Let us not only believe that He is the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, but rejoice in Him, and cleave to Him with purpose of heart. Let us not only be acquainted with Him by the hearing of the ear, but by daily personal application to Him for mercy and grace." JC Ryle, Expository thoughts on Mark p.12

From this past week's sermon we learned from Ecclesiastes that mere knowledge does not bring peace and hope but wisdom from above points to God. Specifically today for Christians that wisdom is seen in the cross where salvation was and is revealed. But as we learn about Christ, I pray that it not be mere information about Him, but information that has a sanctifying effect on us, information that would change us. And that we would cleave to Him in the midst of all uncertainty knowing that He will give that daily mercy and grace.

The truth about Angels and Demons

If we are going to see Angels and Demons or have friends going to see it, Westminster Theological Seminary has set up a helpful website, responding to questions that might come up.

http://www.truthaboutangelsanddemons.com/

HT: Justin Taylor

Pointing to the Fruit of Grace

"A few grapes will show that the plant is a vine, and not a thorn." Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed

I don't know about you, but there are times in life when I can be much more aware of failures than of victories. Falling to the same sin again, hurting someone with my words, looking at the end of our day and seeing areas where I wasn't faithful.
Richard Sibbes wisely points out that God is faithful to point out where grace is at work in our lives, even when we are unaware.
One of the primary ways that He does this is through the care and encouragement of others. There may be days in our lives when we are more aware of our sin, the struggles and cares of life and in those moments we can have a hard time pointing out the fruit growing in our lives. And it is the sweet words of a friend, reminding us of God's grace that can be oh, so helpful in those moments.
When we are struggling, we may not be aware of the growth happening in our lives, areas where we are obeying and reflecting God. And the encouragement from a friend can point us to where God is working and bearing fruit in our lives, reminding us of His faithful work in us.

Lord, use me as your vessel in pointing out the fruit you are bearing by grace in the lives of those around me, because Lord knows I need that reminder too.

Inching Towards Agony

Paul Tripp's little devotional Whiter Than Snow [meditations on Psalm 51] continues to instruct and adjust my thinking when it comes to my sin. I could have quoted all of day 40, but I found this particularly insightful,

"Here's the thing we all need to remember: sin isn't an event; no, it's a progressive movement of the heart that results in disobedient behavior."

This past Sunday, we looked at what it meant to apply the gospel to daily life and the first instruction in doing this was that the gospel reminds us of our ongoing need. The gospel shows us our need for help because there are still these progressive movements in our hearts towards sin. The Bible calls this movement, making provisions for the flesh. As Paul says in Romans 13:14 "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." [ESV]

To see victory in our battles against sin, we need to be aware of the ongoing battle of making these provisions for sin. The casual glance, the subtle remark, the angry thought, the little worry. Small justifications, small concessions for sin that if left unchecked will lead towards the agonizing pain of a hardened heart. This hardened heart then, will run after sin and in so doing bring harm upon our lives as we live lives outside of God's loving design for us.

But thanks be to God that Romans 13:14 gives us the solution, the remedy, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ" We do this as we acknowledge our need for Jesus' help and trusting His power to help us see the subtle movements towards sin and rest in the strength to move towards Him and not agony.

Costly Treasure

"A holy despair in ourselves is the ground of true hope." Richard Sibbes

Reading Matthew 6:19-21 and this quote from Richard Sibbes today reminded me of how God's heart is that I find hope, help and joy in nothing other than Him.

This realization that is costly on two levels.

First, it forces me to come to grips with the fact that nothing in myself and my wants and dreams, my desires can bring true and lasting hope. This truth is costly [i.e. it costs me something, turning from what I want] and where this is revealed often is when I don't get those things and this shows me that my hope is being wrapped up in these pursuits.

The second level however, is to rejoice in the fact that as I come to the truth that the ground of my true hope is God, I realize in greater ways that He is the costliest treasure [i.e. the treasure of most worth] Nothing compares to knowing God, and being known by Him.

And so it is coming to the end of myself where I can find true hope and thus pursue eternal treasures.

Patient Listening

Reading through Ken Sande's the Peacemaker, I was exhorted about the value of waiting being a part of our listening in caring for others. As an application of James 1:19, I pray these instructions provide you with the same helpful and fruitful exhortation they provided me. It focuses on this idea of waiting as we listen, something we often aren't very good at, but if we can learn patience in this department, it will prove quiet fruitful.

"To improve your waiting ability, focus on four commom problems:

1. Try not to jump to premature conclusions. Even if you think you know where the other person is going with words, don't allow yourself to arrive there before he or she does. If you do, you may miss much of what is being said and read into words intentions that are not actually there.
2. Discipline yourself not to interrupt others while they are speaking. This is a basic application of Jesus' teaching to treat others as you want them to treat you. Even when someone says something you strongly disagree with, restrain yourself and keep listening until the other person has fully expressed his or her position. [This was sadly a problem for me earlier in marriage until a friend brought it to my attention. I am grateful for that insight today]
3. Learn to be comfortable with silence. If the other person pauses for a moment to think, resist the temptation to immediately fill the void with your words. Give the other person a while to resume, and if you have any doubt as to whether it's appropriate for you to speak, say something like, 'May I respond to that, or would you like to say something more?'
4. Do not offer solutions to every problem others bring to you. I learned this lesson the hard way. Sometimes Corlette would pour out her frustrations or concerns to me, and before she was finished I was telling her how to solve her problems. Afterward, I couldn't understand why she wasn't more grateful for all the 'help' I have her. It took me a while to realize that she often already knew the solution to a particular problem - what she wasnted most from me was understanding, compassion and tenderness ." [150-151]

I am mindful that in pride I use my one mouth a lot more than my two ears and through these insights can see how I can use the ears God has given me as more of a blessing in listening to others more patiently that I might care for them more effectively.

Getting to the Bottom of Sin

A helpful and humbling quote from Paul Tripp's book, Whiter that Snow on the root and beginning of our sin,

"The desire to be God rather than to serve God lies at the bottom of every sin that anyone has ever committed. Sin isn't first rooted in a philosophical debate of the appropriateness or healthiness of a certain ethic. No, sin is rooted in my unwillingness to find joy in living my life under the authority of, and for the glory of, Another. Sin is rooted in my desire to live for me. It's driven by my propensity to indulge my every feeling, satisfy my every desire, and meet my every need."

God, thank you for the cross that has paid for ever rebel thought and deed.

The Blessing of Counsel

Last week at church we heard from Jeremy Bell from Acts 20 and Paul's instructions to the Ephesians elders. From that message, we saw that the gospel liberates us from the prison of self to serve God seen most clearly in Paul's example.
One of the ways that we can continue to be imprisoned to self is by not bringing others into decision-making thinking our way is best and we don't need the help of others.
A couple of ladies from our Queens care group brought some great counsel on why this can be a struggle.

1. There is no accountability if we don't bring people in to our decisions. If I bring people into decision making then I am accountable for the choices I make.
   
2. There is a sacrifice of time necessary in bring other people into my decision making. It is easier to just step out and make choices and not ask others for advice.

I was really humbled by both of those answers, as I can look back on my life and the ways I have been selfish in these ways. I pray that these wise words help you in decision making in the days and weeks ahead as we see how the gospel provides us with the gift of brothers and sisters who can help us make wise choices so we can serve God more faithfully and fruitfully.

Zeal in the Right Place

In relation to this past week's sermon, I came across this quote from JC Ryle's astounding book Holiness,

"We have too often been content with zeal for orthodoxy and have neglected the sober realities of daily practical godliness."

Though, he is talking in reference to the pursuit of godliness, this quote is equally helpful as we consider God's call in us applying His promises in the midst of uncertainty and trial. It is not merely knowing the truth that will help us and guide us in the desperate moments of life. Instead it is living in light of these promises and by His strength allowing these promises to penetrate our minds AND hearts that they might affect our actions, thoughts and words. As my wife and I have walked through this difficult season of losing a baby to miscarriage, it is important that I not just collect verses for my mind, but live in the good of the real promises that God has provided. It is not simply a collecting of information but an application and love for these promises, marked by trust and obedience in which God pours our His grace to all the areas of our lives.

So let us pursue practical godliness with zeal as we learn to love God and His promises more and more in every situation we face.

A Conflict of Interests

Between reading James and The Peacemaker by Ken Sande, God has really been addressing me in this area of conflict and a short quote from the book by Sande has helped me put the two resources together. Sande writes,

"Every time you encounter a conflict, you have an opportunity to show what you really think of God."

Such a short quote, but it is packed with truth. The book of James is written to help Christians see how God's wisdom affects all areas of life and more than that, not just that wisdom would be gathered but also applied. As it relates to conflict, when tempted I have a choice, I can say God's wisdom [His wisdom as it relates to my speech, my actions towards others, my desires] is good and worth following or I can trust my way. In that moment when conflict arises or even when conflict has started, I can display God's sovereignty and goodness and what I think of it, or I can display my craving for sovereignty in wanting things to go my way.

Oh God, I thank you for this humbling reminder and pray with increasing measure in faith and in the strength that you provide that I would reflect your goodness in the conflicts of life.

The Isolation Age

I have this sort of love/hate relationship going with Facebook. In some ways I love it because it allows me to stay in contact with people and find out what friends are up to, but in other ways, it can hinder relationships because I can think that because I am reading someone's Facebook wall, I know them. I'm reading David Wells book, The Courage to be Protestant and this quote really made me think about the way I interact with friends using the media around me,

"We are the Wired Generation living in a mostly electronically mediated world. However, have you noticed that while everyone is speaking, no one is really listening? We are swamped by voices. So many want our time and attention that for our own protectin we shut out most of them. And while we are surfing the Internet, emailing, watching television, or playing video games, we are doing it all alone. We are wired, but we are also more lonely and have fewer confidants that ever before. The Putnam thesis of the 1960s is correct: we are in touch with everyone potentially, but we know and are known by almost no one in particular."[31]

In the city this can be a particular struggle. Though we are surrounded by people, we are alone, even though we are contacting people through the media.
Thinking about this, here is the challenge if we are game. Make personal contact with a different person among your Facebook friends each week. This might not be face to face but that is the ideal. Maybe it is leaving a comment or message about a prayer request or a way God is really teaching you right now, but through this is going beyond just information about people to really knowing them and in turn that we might be able to care for each other and display the love of God in more purposeful and meaningful ways.

As you experience this I would also love to hear what you are learning and how it is going, so please do leave comments.

I have also attached a great blog by Justin Buzzard about how we can use Facebook to fuel instead of replace personal interaction.

Facebook for the glory of God

Convicting Grace

As Paul Tripp points out in his helpful little devotional Whiter than Snow, "We all have a perverse capacity to be comfortable with what God says is wrong."

God's response is to bring conviction and though painful at the time is meant to warn us, protect us and restore us, as Tripp describes,

"God's loving hammer of conviction is meant to break your heart, and the pain of heart you feel is meant to alert you to the fact that something is spiritually wrong inside of you. Like that warning signal of physical pain, the rescuing and restoring pain of convicting grace is a thing worth celebrating." Whiter than Snow, 35

Perhaps you are feeling the pain of conviction, God has used His Word or a faithful friend to point out sin, rejoice today that God is working and pouring out grace to protect you and use this conviction to help you trust and reflect His Son in greater ways. It is God's heart that we grow to see conviction, even though it is painful at times, as true gift from His hand.

Do you really think you are the worst sinner you know?

Some people have asked in coming to City Church and Sovereign Grace about our application of the doctrine of sin and what this means in terms of how we view ourselves. It is the conviction of City Church that we follow Paul's example in describing himself as the "chief of sinners" [1 Timothy 1:15]

What does this mean practically and how does this play out? Listen to the discussion linked as CJ has a very helpful interaction with another pastor wrestling with this concept. Perhaps you have some of these same questions, I pray this blog and video help provide clarity.

Doing Life Together

In thinking about our desire for and pursuit of our biblical fellowship, this quote though from a marriage book, clearly and practically describes the Bible's view of care and what we pray is experienced in our care groups,

"Christian fellowship is an expression of both love and humility. It springs from a desire to bring benefit to others, coupled with a sense of personal weakness and need. It has a double motive - the wish to help, and to be helped; to edify, and to be edified. It has a double aim - to do, and to receive, good. It is a corporate seeking by Christian people to know God better through sharing with each other what, individually, they have learned of him already."

J.I. Packer quoted in Love that Lasts

The effects of the Gospel

A New Year [I know it's January 20th but it's been a crazy month so far] and a new resolve to the blog.

As we walk through our series in Pierced for our Transgressions together, the hope is that it would lead to two major results among us. First, that we would love Jesus more and more as we come to a greater understanding of what He has accomplished on the cross. Second, that it would lead to a greater witness as we recognize our call and the joy in telling people this great news.

As we think about the second result, Ligon Duncan in a blog a few months back realized that a purposeful pursuit of and teaching about the gospel should lead to the following characteristics being lived out among the congregation,

1. That your whole congregation would be able to articulate the Gospel, personally, in a compelling and understandable way;
2. That your whole congregation would understand the importance and necessity of their lives, their prayers and their participation in Gospel witness;
3. That your whole congregation would deeply care about conversions (and I would lay stress here, that we are talking about real conversions, not numbers; disciples, not decisions; changed lives, not merely prayed prayers);
4. That your whole congregation would earnestly and regularly pray for conversions, talks about their own conversions and the conversions of others, and put a priority on people coming to know God; and
5. That your whole congregation would be excited about the Gospel itself, and not simply about a method of sharing the Gospel, or a training program.

I pray as we go through this series together, that these characteristics would increasingly mark our people and bear fruit in our lives and draw others to know Him through us, for His glory.