Category Archives: Borrowed_Words

Christmas in May

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Photography by Kalle Gustafsson -source-

I am reading a wonderful book, Heaven Misplaced by Douglas Wilson. It is a short book about Eschatology, and more specifically about postmillennialism -or “historical optimism”-. And no matter what your beliefs are on this matter, if you are uncertain on what exactly postmillennialism is and would like to study it, this is the book you need to read. Wilson does a fantastic work in explaining a difficult topic in such a way that you find yourself inside the narrative, immersed in it. And in a moment you find yourself saying, “Wouldn’t it be glorious if this really were true?” 


I would love to share with you some quotes from chapter seven, What the Angels Said; Goodwill Toward Men,  that have found its way deep into my heart:

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:8-14

 

“Think of this book as a small effort to get Christians to believe their Christmas carols year-round.
We have trouble with this because Christmas is about grace, and grace is one of the most difficult things in the world for sinners to grasp. And as soon as we realize that it is difficult, we turn the “grasping of it” into a contest, giving those with the “right answer” a “best in show” award. But grace doesn’t follow our rules. Grace means that some who have the wrong answers will be saved and others who have the right answers won’t be.”

 

“We have trouble with something as straightforward as “goodwill toward men.” We are afraid of grace getting carried away, and so we want to slap some conditions on it.”

 

“Grace has a backbone and knows how to define itself. Grace is not the word that we use as the “open, sesame” of the Church. Grace is not something we do. Grace is not something we can control. Grace is not something that we can manage. And this means that we in the Church need to recognize that the guardians of grace are frequently its most dangerous enemies. Grace is God’s declared intention of favor for the whole world, whether we like it or not.”

 

“We know our Bibles well enough to know that grace, properly understood, does not lead to a life of moral outrage. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (Rom.6:1). Of course not. We know the Scriptures in this, but I am afraid that we do not know our own hearts. God’s grace is a tsunami that will carry us away and deposit us in places we would not have anticipated -and all of it good. We analyze this carefully and say that  we want our grace to be true and pure water, just like the tsunami, but we want it to be a placid pond on a summer day that we can inch across gingerly, always keeping one pointed toe on what we think is the bottom of our own do-gooding morality. “

“Christ was born at night, and His birth was the arrival of the morning star.”

Waiting in Him,

 

Becky

Waking up to New Mercies

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Annie Pliego Photography

 

“Because of the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed — for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:22-23

Oh, to wake up every morning to new mercies!  To open the windows and let the sun in, to open the Word and let it warm our hearts, speak to us, satisfy us.

“New mercies flow in upon you every morning — yes, every moment! Every friend is a mercy. Every morsel of provision. Every hour’s sleep. Every kind word. Every moment’s freedom from racking pain. Medicine is a mercy. A house is a mercy. You are therefore surrounded by mercies. But look at spiritual things — to know God, to have the revelation of His mind, will, and purpose, to have a throne of grace, an advocate in Heaven, a good hope beyond the grave, the prospect of a glorious resurrection! Here are mercies heaped upon mercies, and favors heaped upon favors. Mercies that would fill us with wonder, admiration, and gratitude, if our hearts were not like adamant, harder than a flint!”  James Smith, 1842

Let us be aware today of His many mercies, all undeserved, all grace.

 

Becky

Avoiding Controversies and Quarrels -Titus 3: 8-11-

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©Katie Lloyd Photography

 

“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” Titus 3:8-11 ESV

Some more thoughts on Titus (I am sure you don’t mind, right?), but I have just been thinking on these words a lot.

“We struggle with these commands to ‘avoid…. arguments’ because we know there are things worth disputing, and because it seems divisive to separate from divisive people… there is a difference between needing to divide and loving to divide. A divisive person loves to fight. The differences are usually observable. A person who loves the peace and purity of the church may be forced into division, but it is not his character. He enters arguments regrettably and infrequently. When forced to argue, he remains fair, truthful, and loving in his responses. He grieves to have to disagree with a brother. Those who are divisive by nature lust for the fray, incite its onset, and delight in being able to conquer another person. For them victory means everything. so in an argument they twist words, call names, threaten, manipulate procedures, and attempt to extend the debate as long as possible and along as many fronts as possible.

Divisive persons frequent the debates of the church. As a result the same voices and personalities tend to appear over and over again, even though the issues change. Paul’s words caution us about the seriousness of being ‘divisive.’ Though ego and entertainment may be served by argument, such engagement damages the church and should be avoided unless it is absolutely necessary.

At times we must fight (1:9). But if we love the fight, we must question if we are following God’s priorities. Do we really want to devote our lives to quarreling, criticism, and argument? The man of God must not strive (2 Timothy 2:24. 25). He is by nature peaceable and gentle (Titus 1:7; 2:1; 3:2). He stands where he must, but he takes no delight in debates among brethren and does not make them the priorities of his ministry. Nothing other than grace must be the priority of the gospel-centered church.”

 Bryan Chapell



Only God our Father can help us find the balance which is much needed today.

 

Becky

Repentance Should be Noticed -Notes from my Reading Corner-

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Buy at Monergism Books

I have been reading these past few days Dan Phillip’s book, The World-Tilting Gospel, and I have certainly enjoyed it very much. This is a book that I recommend to anyone who professes to be a Christian but cannot explain the basics of his faith: what is the Gospel for example,  and what does it mean -and why it matters so much- to have a Biblical worldview. On the other hand, it is a book that I  recommend to those who already know the answers to those questions, but love the Gospel so much that reading about the wonderful truths in it is always a joy, a refreshment. It is like taking the time to sit back on a lovely day and be reminded of all its beauty, and once more, fall in love with it.

Yesterday I read what Phillips writes about repentance; and it made me think about the beauty of it. O what a wonderful gift it is to us! Yet, just like we do with many other of the gifts we receive from God, at times we despise it.  How many times have we used this word only as an excuse to hide the sin we love? We say “I repent, forgive me,” only to keep on doing exactly the same thing, over and over again; making no effort to kill that sin; making no attempt to mortify the sin that wants to rule our conduct and destroy our relationships.

Phillips says,

“Sticking with just the words translated “repent/ repentance” in the Greek NT, we start with the term’s fundamental idea: ‘Change your mind.’ However, I must issue an immediate warning: Beware mistaking ‘change your mind’ as meaning simply ‘shift an opinion or two.’ The ‘change’ is a radical, top-to-bottom change; and it is the ‘mind’ that must change, not merely some individual notion.”

 

“Maybe a better explanation of repentance would be a transformed mind, or a transformed way of thinking that issues in a transformed life.

We are exposed to the Word of God; and as a result, the way we look at and think about everything is transformed.”

“Everything is transformed,” this just hits hard. If we are still in this body, we are still struggling with our sinful nature, that is true. But, if we are true believers, repentance should be part of our daily walk with the Lord, which in turns means that we should be transformed every day in all things, in our attitudes, in the way we see things, in the way we look at the world. Always walking forward toward the goal: our sanctification.

Change and transformation must be part of our daily life. I don’t want to be the same person that I am today in ten years, or two months, or three weeks from now; not even when I go to bed tonight.

Phillips explains, taking the example of the Churches at Ephesus and Thessalonica, how when they repented, “their fundamental beliefs changed, and their loves changed -in costly, practical ways.” “They turned from the dead false idols they served, and to the living and true God, to a life centered around their hope in the Lord.”

“One cannot seek God or turn to Him without by that act turning away from sin. it is impossible to lie in the arms of sin as lover, or serve sin as master, and at the same time love and serve God. One cannot turn to God without turning away from sin.”

And this truth not only refers to the first time we are called out of darkness into His admirable light. This is true for today, in our Christian walk. Today I cannot turn to God without turning away from sin.

Today as we look at the Cross and take time to examine our heart, I pray we will truly grasp by the Spirit of God, what true repentance means so that, in turn, we may be changed into his likeness.

Under His grace,

Becky

If you are interested, you can read a more thorough review of this book at Douglas Wilson’s Blog.

More on repentance:

“All too frequently repentance is either not taught at all or it is in the fine print. We somehow feel that if we get a person to “receive Christ as their personal Savior” it will automatically change their heart. We don’t bother to find out if the person wants a changed heart. The Greek word for repentance simply means to change your mind. Do the people we “lead to Christ” want HIm to change their minds? Sad to say, frequently they do not. Too many people today think that it is possible to believe in God and be a Christian without turning to God and away from their sin. This is not the gospel message of Paul.”
Douglas Wilson, Beginning with Repentance

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A Prayer- That We May Be an Example to All-

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This is a prayer taken from William Barclay’s Prayer Book,

Help us, O God, to rid ourselves of all the things which
keep us from being good examples of the faith which we profess.

Help us
        Never to demand standards from others which we
            never attempt to live up to ourselves;
        Never to contradict with our lives that which we say
            with our lips;
        Never to be one thing to people’s face and another
            behind their back.

Help us
        Never to make a promise and then to break it
            because it is difficult to keep;
        Never to do anything dishonorable, either to avoid
            trouble or to make a gain;
        Never to be disloyal to a friend
            or untrue to a loved one.

Help us
       Never to teach or persuade anyone to do
           a wrong thing;
       Never to give an example which will make it easier
           for someone else to go wrong;
       Never to laugh at anyone else’s beliefs,
           and never to hide our own.

Help us to live that we shall never bring disgrace to ourselves,
                                                      heartbreak to others,
                                                      or grief to you.

Amen

This is my earnest prayer today…