The Good Portion

Love Notes, a biblical look at love , by Ryan Dalgliesh, was not at all what I was expecting. I was anticipating a study on what the Bible means by “love” in general - how it looks and feels in the life of a Christian, how it operates in church life and in the unbelieving world. That is what my own emphasis has been of late. That said, this book’s primary focus is marital love - not what I was expecting but certainly not without value. The author, in his early 30’s, is a newly married (less than two years) itinerate Bible teacher, who spent about a decade in the hope of finding a suitable wife. The book is a reflection of that journey - a compilation of lessons learned during his hopeful preparation, punctuated with a series of love notes written to his future, yet-to-be-discovered, wife. It reflects the yearning of a youthful romantic Christian young man; and in that sense it is quite sweet. It has much of the idealism one would expect from the writings of a dreamy single...

Since Monday, and even since New Year's Day , the subject of Christian love has been the burden of my heart - or perhaps I should say my lack of love . To truly love my enemies, and my brethren would be a light burden indeed, a joy. But to lack in love brings with it a heavy burden, the burden of fear. "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever l...

I found this in my Graced Again e-mail this morning. “Sometimes with great effort (most church members) can be maneuvered into some active role in the church's program, like a trained seal in a circus act, but their hearts are not fully in it. They may repeat the catchwords of the theology of grace, but many have little deep awareness that they and other Christians are 'accepted in the beloved.' Since their understanding of justification is marginal or unreal - anchored not to Christ, but to some conversion experience in the past or to an imagined state of goodness in their lives - they know little of the dynamic of justification. Their understanding of sin focuses upon behavioral externals which they can eliminate from their lives by a little will power and ignores the great submerged continents of pride, covetousness and hostility beneath the surface. Thus their phariseeism defends them both against full involvement in the church's mission and against full subjection...

To be so occupied in the investigation of the secrets of nature, as never to turn the eyes to its Author, is a most perverted study; and to enjoy everything in nature without acknowledging the Author of the benefit, is the basest ingratitude. ---John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis Creation teaches us about its Creator. It is a revelation of His invisible attributes. Before there was Scripture, there was creation. Since Scripture, creation yet remains a testimony to those without the written Word. It holds all accountable to the Creator. It does not deceive us in what it reveals about Him; but we deceive ourselves when we refuse to see Him in it. As Paul says: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal ...

Here's a challenging post. I'm a few days late in reading it, but I'd like to pass it on, because it's worth reading - and re-reading. If you are an avid reader of theology, as I know many of you are, this is a warning worth heeding. Please read it. Do you have a real pastor?

Everyone in my family knows I've adored The Sound of Music since I first saw it as a child. I listened to the soundtrack over and over on my little record player (skipping Climb Every Mountain every time). I own copies of three different books authored by Maria von Trapp. (The two biographies differ radically - to the extent that I don't know which to believe.) I had a heartbreaking crush on the Christopher Plummer character, though I was so young I couldn't tell if I wanted to marry him or for him to be my father. I envied the wardrobe of the baronness who wanted to marry Georg. I haven't watched the film through in a few years, though I hardly need to. I've seen it dozens of times. Yet as personal as all this feels to me, I am clearly not alone. This film has captured the hearts of young and old for decades insisting that we stop, remember, and smile. Thanks to my dear Paul for this little gift: And, if you like hip-hop, take a minute to see what my girl, ...

Name them one by one Count your blessings See what God hath done: Dixie (my mother-in-law) is out of the hospital after nearly dying on Thursday from an allergic reaction to a medication meant to treat a mild infection. (She spent almost the entire time we were down south in intensive care. Because I had a cough I was only able to visit her once, though I'm incredibly thankful for that one visit.) I got to spend a lot more time with my Terry, my father-in-law, in one to one conversation than I ever have in the past. We made the 1000 mile trip there and home safely with tires down to the wear-bars and no air conditioning during record high temps for April. The first day there a friend from church called to give Paul a lead on a job. Another friend from church called just to say she loved us and was praying for us. In fact, Paul has had several phone calls from friends as far away as New York wishing him well. When we got home we learned that unemployment benefits would provide muc...

Is a part of a much bigger story God is telling. It's good to keep things in perspective - an eternal perspective, if you will. “The prophets searched. Angels longed to see. And the disciples didn’t understand. But Moses, the prophets, and all the Old Testament Scriptures had spoken about it — that Jesus would come, suffer, and then be glorified. God began to tell a story in the Old Testament , the ending of which the audience eagerly anticipated. But the Old Testament audience was left hanging. The plot was laid out but the climax was delayed. The unfinished story begged an ending. In Christ, God has provided the climax to the Old Testament story . Jesus did not arrive unannounced; his coming was declared in advance in the Old Testament, not just in explicit prophecies of the Messiah but by means of the stories of all of the events, characters, and circumstances in the Old Testament. God was telling a larger, overarching, unified story. From the account of creation in Genesis t...

The caption reads: "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." HT to Betsy and Desiring God Ministries

If that question makes you squirm, even just a tiny bit, it's okay - keep reading. Today I found a very encouraging article on Tim Challies' blog about "quiet times" . I almost didn't read it, but I'm really glad I did. Here's a quote: In The Discipline of Grace, Jerry Bridges provides two scenarios and then a question. In the first, he describes a good day. “You get up promptly when your alarm goes off and have a refreshing and profitable quiet time as you read your Bible and pray. Your plans for the day generally fall into place, and you somehow sense that presence of God with you. To top it off, you unexpectedly have an opportunity to share the gospel with someone who is truly searching. As you talk with the person, you silently pray for the Holy Spirit to help you and to also work in your friend’s heart.” We’ve all had days like that. But we’ve also all had days like this: “You don’t arise at the first ring of your alarm. Instead, you shut it off and...

Being one who attended church for many years before my own conversion, I'd heard for years this thing people would say to me or others who were suffering hardship: "The Lord is going to use this to make you better able to help others who are going through the same thing." Now, I had the good sense not to say it out loud, but every time I heard this I would think, "Well, that's a bit of circular reasoning: God helping one person suffer so they can help the next person suffer, so they can help.....What's the point of all that? What I want is for the suffering to end! If God's so great and good, why doesn't He just make everyone stop hurting." Well, I don't claim to have it all figured out now. If I did I think I would be entitled to a lot of money. But I don't. What I do understand now is this little bit: that suffering, for reasons only barely comprehensible to me, is part of God's eternal plan. When He created this earth, He was ...

Let me apologize for the newsiness of the blog these days. This is a sign of the times for the moment. As I mentioned previously, Paul was laid off from his job on Thursday. He decided to take the next few days between my workdays to come visit his parents. We spent the better part of the day yesterday on the road covering the 500 miles from our house to my in-laws. During the hours of our travel my mother-in-law, Dixie, who has a rare auto-immune disorder, and is on immuno-suppressant therapy, had a severe reaction to a medication meant to treat a minor infection. She went to the hospital and is now in intensive care. I cannot visit her, in case my allergies turn out not to be allergies. I can't risk exposing her to anything. So Paul and Terry went to visit her this morning. I spent the morning on Terry's computer trying to get the hang of Facebook and deal with the sudden glut of e-mail it's generated. Paul called a while ago to tell me she was still in the ICU,...

In high school I was friends with a couple of Cuban girls. They were both native Spanish speakers (and taught me obscenities in their native tongue), yet I was shocked to learn that they were both struggling desperately in their Spanish classes! It seemed unbelievable to me at the time. Not now. Somehow in their early education they were deprived of proper instruction in grammar. They did not have a grasp of how their language worked. One thing I noticed as my kids went through school was a near absence of instruction in grammar. (This was even the case in our homeschooling years.) My own early school memories are heavy laden with the parsing of sentences - as early as second grade we were circling, underlining, double-underlining, and drawing arrows. Yet I found out later, particularly with my son, this sort of teaching has been virtually abandoned. A couple of years ago my teenage son spent a year in independent study. This was my first real exposure in several years to the ty...

“The atoning death of Christ , and that alone, has presented sinners as righteous in God’s sight; the Lord Jesus has paid the full penalty of their sins, and clothed them with His perfect righteousness before the judgment seat of God. But Christ has done for Christians even far more than that. He has given to them not only a new and right relation to God, but a new life in God’s presence for evermore. He has saved them from the power as well as from the guilt of sin. The New Testament does not end with the death of Christ; it does not end with the triumphant words of Jesus on the Cross , ‘It is finished.’ The death was followed by the resurrection, and the resurrection like the death was for our sakes. Jesus rose from the dead into a new life of glory and power, and into that life He brings those for whom He died. The Christian, on the basis of Christ’s redeeming work, not only has died unto sin, but also lives unto God.” —J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism

Was Christ successful in what He set out to do? Was the "founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the same..." (Heb. 12: 2) now seated at the right hand of God experiencing joy mixed with disappointment? How Good was Good Friday? How triumphant was our Risen Savior? I happened today upon an article in a Reformed Baptist publication in which James White addresses this very matter. I hope you'll take some time to read it reflectively. For those unfamiliar with the Reformed view of the atonement, this will serve as a concise introduction which is also respectful in its disagreement with those who differ. If the only knowledge you have of the Reformed view is what you've heard from its critics, it's likely your view is based a caricature and you would benefit in your understanding to learn from a proponent. As Os Guinness says, "...each faith should speak for itself rather than being understood...

Over my years in various church settings, from time to time the subject would come up about Good Friday not really being 3 days and 3 nights before the resurrection. The well-known pastor of a Word of Faith church I attended in my late teens went so far as to announce that Jesus was not crucified on Friday at all, but on Thursday (or was it Wednesday?) because, based on the "sign of Jonah" referred to in Matthew 12:40, he "did the math" and counted back three days and three nights from the Resurrection morning. This notion is, however, clearly untenable based on other Scriptures which clearly place the Crucifixion on a Friday. For instance: John 19: 31: "it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath..." emphasizes that the evening following the crucifixion began the Sabbath, thus the Jews were eager to have it done with before dark on Friday. Jesus' Last Supper was a Passover meal, held on Thursd...

What follows is part of a letter I recently sent to a dear friend who was struggling with her sense of guilt for her perceived failure and inadequacy as a Christian. This was no babe in Christ, but a long time believer with solid doctrinal beliefs. As I tried to encourage her I found myself needing to be encouraged as well. When I was done, I read the letter to my husband and asked, "Is this really true? Did I tell her the truth? It seems too good to be true!" He assured me that it was the Gospel, and most certainly true. I found myself wishing I could share this with all my sisters in Christ, so here it is (with the names changed to protect the forgiven). "I've been listening to a lecture series on grace these last few months. I found it really difficult to accept in the beginning. It seemed too good to be true. I will listen again in the future, because it's still so hard to believe. But it's changed my life. It's kind of like when I first learne...

I'll let founding father John Adams explain: "We have no government armed with powers capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Our system of government was designed with the understanding that it would be governing those already governed to an even greater degree by religious faith and conscience. Without these forces as cement, the entire structure begins to crumble.