Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Psalm 23

A few days ago, for family worship we read Psalm 23 together.

I have read this passage.
Memorized this passage.
And to some extent, feel like it no longer pertains to me.

Man, was I wrong. How can such simple words state such profound truth. I praise the Lord again for such a comforting Psalm as the 23rd.

Read (watch) it again...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Behold, I Make All Things New - Spurgeon

“There are children of God who need this text, ‘Behold, I make all things new,’ whose sigh is that they so soon grow dull and weary in the ways of God, and therefore they need daily renewing. After a few months a vigorous young Christian will begin to cool down; and those who have been long in the ways of God find that final perseverance must be a miracle if ever it is to be accomplished, for naturally they tire and faint.

Well, now, dear friends, why do you and I ever get stale and flat? Why, it is because we get away from him who says, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ The straight way to a perpetual newness and freshness of holy youth is to go to Christ again, just as we did at the first. A better thing still is never to leave him, but to stand for ever at the cross-foot delighting yourself in his all-sufficient sacrifice.

They that are full of the joy of the Lord never find life grow weary. Getting near to Christ, you will partake in his joy, and that joy shall be your strength, your freshness, the newness of your life. God grant us to drink of the eternal founts, that we may for ever overflow.”

—Charles Spurgeon

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors. - Romans 8:12 (Spurgeon)

As God's creatures, we are all debtors to Him: to obey Him with all our body, and soul, and strength. Having broken His commandments, as we all have, we are debtors to His justice, and we owe to Him a vast amount which we are not able to pay. But of the Christian it can be said that he does not owe God's justice anything, for Christ has paid the debt His people owed; for this reason the believer owes the more to love. I am a debtor to God's grace and forgiving mercy; but I am no debtor to His justice, for He will never accuse me of a debt already paid. Christ said, "It is finished!" and by that He meant, that whatever His people owed was wiped away for ever from the book of remembrance. Christ, to the uttermost, has satisfied divine justice; the account is settled; the handwriting is nailed to the cross; the receipt is given, and we are debtors to God's justice no longer. But then, because we are not debtors to our Lord in that sense, we become ten times more debtors to God than we should have been otherwise.

Christian, pause and ponder for a moment. What a debtor thou art to divine sovereignty! How much thou owest to His disinterested love, for He gave His own Son that He might die for thee. Consider how much you owe to His forgiving grace, that after ten thousand affronts He loves you as infinitely as ever. Consider what you owe to His power; how He has raised you from your death in sin; how He has preserved your spiritual life; how He has kept you from falling; and how, though a thousand enemies have beset your path, you have been able to hold on your way. Consider what you owe to His immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once. Thou art as deep in debt as thou canst be to every attribute of God. To God thou owest thyself, and all thou hast--yield thyself as a living sacrifice, it is but thy reasonable service.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Christ came to save sinners - Robert Murray M’Cheyne

“‘If I knew I were one of God’s elect, I would come to Christ; but I fear I am not.’ To you I answer: nobody ever came to Christ because he knew himself to be one of the elect. It is quite true that God has of His mere good pleasure elected some to everlasting life, but they never knew it until they believed in Christ. Christ nowhere commands the elect to come to him. He commands all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. The question for you is not, ‘Am I one of the elect?’ but ‘Am I a sinner?’ Christ came to save sinners.”

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Only Reason I Can Sleep Well at Night - Michael Horton

“My conscience does not render a positive verdict in God’s courtroom when I look inside myself. The only reason I can sleep well at night is that even though my heart is filled with corruption and even though I am not doing my best to please him, I have in heaven at the Father’s right hand the beloved Son, who has not only done his best for himself but has fulfilled all righteousness for me in my place.”

Monday, April 20, 2009

Whats Next?

Eighty percent of 173 analyzed studies indicate one or more adverse correlations when it comes to kids' exposure to media, such as obesity, smoking, drug and alcohol use, attention problems and poor grades. One of the strongest connections is in the area of sex. Fully 93% of the studies found that children exposed to more media have sex earlier. Researchers also found that the average child today spends 45 hours a week immersed in media, compared to 30 hours in school and 15 hours with parents. [usatoday.com, 12/1/08; nytimes.com, 12/2/08]

YouTube is the most popular Web destination for boys ages 13-17, according to a study by Youth Trends. Almost half (41%) listed YouTube as one of their Top 3 favorite sites. Facebook came in second (34%), followed by Google (30%), Yahoo! (23%) and ESPN (22%). Teen girls favored Facebook: 47% named the social networking site as one of their favorites, followed by Google (33%), YouTube (27%), MySpace (21%) and Yahoo! (19%). [emarketer.com, 11/19/08]


So what is next? Where do we go from here? In not of? In the world, but not of it - John 17, right? What are some ways that you can shield yourself and your family from the stuff of earth?

Here is a list of a few ideas to help you get it started:
  1. Pray for your family.
  2. Be in the Word.
  3. Turn the TV off.
  4. Eat one meal a day together as a family.
  5. Love your spouse well.
  6. Play a game.
  7. Read to your kids.
  8. Read to your spouse.
  9. Spend one day a week "fasting" from TV or radio or the internet or...
  10. Serve someone outside of your family.
  11. __________________
  12. __________________
  13. __________________
Keep in mind what Paul said in Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Corrective Tract for the Prosperity Gospel - John Piper

Corrective tract for the prosperity gospel

Mark 8:34-36:

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?