I've posted this mainly becuase i want all my brothers & sisters to be attracted to Superior, Godly, and True Love and i want them to be repulsed by Cheap, Idolatrous, Immitations of that love.
To truly love something (anything that is not God) you must first lose that thing (hate it, count it as rubbish) and look to God as your all in all. Then, and only then can you ever truly love the thing (after you've lost it, after you've hated it, after you've died to it for God's sake). This is especially true in Marriage. In the following I first give a demonstration of what this would look like in my own heart. Then I attempt to describe the extreme and terrible dangers of any other view of marriage and likewise argue for the many and wonderful joys of this view. (Throughout I talk on a personal lever but it should be read in general thinking of a husband when I say "I" or "me" and thinking of a wife when I say "her" or "she")…
What it Looks like in the Heart:
My God, all I want is You. You are my Joy. You are, Yourself, Joy. All else is loss to me. To have anything together with You is not gain but loss, not addition but subtraction. You are my All in All. I want to have You & You alone with no distraction, with nothing else. You are my Sovereign Joy, my One Thing. You have done this, Lord. You alone have turned my sorrow into joy. You have fixed my heart on You alone and thereby caused me to walk in Your ways. Oh Your Faithfulness! And God, in this exclusive love for You which You have given to me there seems to have arisen within it –not apart from it (I pray)- a smaller love of the same essence. It is a love which (as far as I cant tell) is a love for You (as You are the only thing Loveable -even in my heart) but it encompasses another that is not You. It as though the love for You & joy in You which You have given me has breeched my capacities for such things, which You also have given to me, so that it has over-flown to bring in another. I have found in me the desire, the longing, to share this love for You (that is the overflow, not as though I'm splitting it in two) with another and to see this love and joy in You cultivated in the other and thereby to increase my love and joy in You. I think I see now more clearly Your aim in relationships and more so (or most so) in marriage.
It is not that I love her and love You. It is that I love her because I love You. I want to love her as You have loved me, that she would love You the way (and more so) that I have loved You- and that the love You have for me may become more manifest to me in my love for her that I may see more clearly and cherish more fully the love with which You've loved me.
The Downfalls of other types of love and the Wonders of this love:
Godly love is True love & Idolatrous love is a fake, twisted and dark imitation of that True love. Keeping this in mind, I think will go far in accomplishing the desired end of resisting idolatrous love & cultivating Godly love. I must remind myself that there is nothing truly lovely or loveable in the object itself and that the only loveliness or loveableness it possesses is that which it is given by God and has in relation to God's loveliness. To be with anything or anyone (including myself or my spouse) apart from God would be Hell. There is nothing in a thing, itself which can ever satisfy me. And there is nothing in me, myself which could ever satisfy anyone else. To be with her not in relation to God would lead to the heights of misery and sorrow for both of us. I would lead her nowhere but to frustration and to hell and provide nothing but darkness for her. She would drag me down to the pits of despair (where I rightly deserve to be).
But, if our love is grounded in, flowing from, directed toward and ultimately a participation in our respective love for God, oh how beautiful and happy our relation becomes! I don't need her and so I can give to her rather than try to take what is not there. I can lead rather than retreat. And what would I give to her but that which has filled my lack and overflown- I would give her God! I would lead her to God! With every word and every deed I would joyously labor to any extent and suffer any human pain in order to see her deeply, passionately, breath-takingly, beautifully, overwhelmingly happy in her Mighty & Lovely God Who loves her with an Everlasting Love to which my small acts of love are a feeble pointer. And she would rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of glory as she took in the awesome vision of her God which He has graciously displayed through me and as she contemplated the immensities of her blessings & blessedness in Him, love and joy and adoration and a conglomerate of millions of unspeakably wonderful emotions would well up inside of her and overflow in a great and soft "I love You. I love you so much" which would be directed both at her God and also at the man through which God has displayed Himself in such a lovely way to her. And (ideally) neither she nor I would be tempted to love the other apart from God because the Joyous vision of God we have through each other would be exceedingly more lovely and satisfying than the poison we would have in each other apart from our Great God. Neither would our joy in each other ever grow dim or faint or stale or stagnant in any way because it is not only a joy in each other (each being finite) but rather it is mainly joy in God who is Infinite. Because I could never plumb the depths of joy in all that God is, therefore I could never plumb the depths of godly joy which I have in her and likewise her in me. And so the idea of marriage growing old is utterly done away with when in relation to joy in God. In this manner, there is continual newness in marriage for we will continually & forever be discovering new joyous thing of our Beautiful & Infinite God through each other.
And all this only being possible provided that the origin is Love for God at the exclusion of all else (including her at first).
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Man I Want to be...
6-18-07
There are many things i want to do in this life...many things i want to be. There are many things i want for my brothers and my sisters. But i think above all else (short of being with Christ, Himself) i want...i need for George Whitefields prayer to be answered; in my life specifically and in the Church as a whole.
"Oh that we shall see the Great Head of the Church once more raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in the glorious employ [Preaching]
And What Manner of Men Will They Be?
Men…
-Mighty in the Scriptures
-Their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty, and the holiness of God
-and their minds & hearts aglow with the great truths of the Doctrines of Grace
-They will be men Who have learned what it is to die to self- to human aims and personal ambitions
-Men Who are willing to be fools for Christ's sake
-Who will bear reproach and falsehood
-Who will labor and suffer
-And Whose supreme desire will be not to gain earth's accolades, but to win the Master's approbation when they shall appear before His awesome judgment seat
-They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes
-And upon who's ministries, God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit who will witness signs & wonders following in the transformation of multitudes of lives."
-Whitefield
This one thing Oh God (apart from being with You) i ask. This is what i want to be. God, make me this man. Hear the pleas of your servant Whitefield and in your abundant mercy pour out Your flames of promise upon this cold dead heart. If i am not this, God, then i am nothing. I can think of no greater joy, Lord, than to be this type of man...and so Oh God, come and work mightily in your servant. By Your Sovereign Grace, pour out You Omnipotent power (which is precisely what it will take) upon this life. Look not at me and my merits for the basis of answering my request, but look upon Your precious Son, in whom i have all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. You Who did not spare Your own Son, but freely gave Him up for me..God, how will you not also with Him, freely grant me this thing? And Lord, not for me only, but for all my brothers...oh God....oh, to see You raise up an entire generation of men in this likeness. Father my hearts spills over in tears of joy at the mere thought of it! Do it for Your sake, for Your sake oh Lord. For how shall Your name be defamed? Your glory, oh God, You will not give to another.
There are many things i want to do in this life...many things i want to be. There are many things i want for my brothers and my sisters. But i think above all else (short of being with Christ, Himself) i want...i need for George Whitefields prayer to be answered; in my life specifically and in the Church as a whole.
"Oh that we shall see the Great Head of the Church once more raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in the glorious employ [Preaching]
And What Manner of Men Will They Be?
Men…
-Mighty in the Scriptures
-Their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty, and the holiness of God
-and their minds & hearts aglow with the great truths of the Doctrines of Grace
-They will be men Who have learned what it is to die to self- to human aims and personal ambitions
-Men Who are willing to be fools for Christ's sake
-Who will bear reproach and falsehood
-Who will labor and suffer
-And Whose supreme desire will be not to gain earth's accolades, but to win the Master's approbation when they shall appear before His awesome judgment seat
-They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes
-And upon who's ministries, God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit who will witness signs & wonders following in the transformation of multitudes of lives."
-Whitefield
This one thing Oh God (apart from being with You) i ask. This is what i want to be. God, make me this man. Hear the pleas of your servant Whitefield and in your abundant mercy pour out Your flames of promise upon this cold dead heart. If i am not this, God, then i am nothing. I can think of no greater joy, Lord, than to be this type of man...and so Oh God, come and work mightily in your servant. By Your Sovereign Grace, pour out You Omnipotent power (which is precisely what it will take) upon this life. Look not at me and my merits for the basis of answering my request, but look upon Your precious Son, in whom i have all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. You Who did not spare Your own Son, but freely gave Him up for me..God, how will you not also with Him, freely grant me this thing? And Lord, not for me only, but for all my brothers...oh God....oh, to see You raise up an entire generation of men in this likeness. Father my hearts spills over in tears of joy at the mere thought of it! Do it for Your sake, for Your sake oh Lord. For how shall Your name be defamed? Your glory, oh God, You will not give to another.
All I Need
5-2-07
A Confession:
I have always sinfully and idolatrously absolutely needed other people. I have been so disgustingly dependant on others for my life; viewing myself through the eyes of others, measuring myself by the standards of others, and loving or hating myself through the affection or rejection of others for me. In so doing, I became a monster. I vehemently and violently attacked, lashed out at, and hurt anyone who dared to befriend me. I am deeply sorry. I hate what I was. What I've been.
A Solution:
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forevermore" –Ps. 73:25-26.
I need Him. no one else. Just Him. Him alone. I don't need a dad. He is my Father. I don't need friends. He is my Comforter. He knows me more intimately than them all. I don't need someone to love or to be loved by. He is Love. He is the Standard. He is the Beginning. And He is the End. He alone IS. Nothing else will last. Nothing else will satisfy. All is weak and contingent upon Him alone. All else is sinking sand. He is The Rock. Where else would I go or to whom else would I turn? He alone has the Words of Life. He is my Rest. My Food. My Delight. My Joy. My Shelter. My Water. My Fortress. My Protector. My Healer. My Provider. My Savior. My Redeemer. My Immortal. My Best Friend. My Only Hope. My High Priest. My Help in time of need. My Air. My Rock. My Interceder. My Contender. My Lord. My God. My Resurrection. My Life. My All in All. He is Everything. EVERYTHING. And He is mine. He's mine. Forever. Irrevocably. Forever.
A Paradox:
We need each other.
"But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand 'I have no need of you'; or again, the head to the feet 'I have no need of you'. On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary…so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body and individually members of it" – 1 Cor. 12:20-27
"Take care brethren that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the Living God. But encourage one another day after day so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" Heb. 3: 12-13.
If we do not encourage each other, we will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and will fall away from the Living God. Without each other, we Christians will die. We will. We desperately need each other. Or, more precisely, we need CHRIST in each other.
It is still true that we need nothing and no one but Christ alone. However, Christ is with us through each other. And so it is not so much that we need others in and of themselves but rather that we need the Christ who dwells richly and uniquely in others. Christ inhabits every true believer and He is manifested in manifold ways uniquely in every individual believer so that it is very true to say that we desperately need each other; that is that we need the unique manifestation of Christ through each other.
An Exhortation:
"This is My Commandment, That you love one another, just as I have loved you" –Jn. 15:12.
Fight first with all of your might to find your all in all in Christ alone. Make Him your only Treasure. Make Him your only King, the only Goal in your life, the only Satisfaction to your weak and trembling heart. Fight for this.
Then, fight with all of your might to love and be loved by that same Christ as He dwells in your brothers and sisters. Do not despise them, for if you do, then you despise Christ- for He is in them. As you do unto them, you do unto Christ. Do not separate yourself from them (and thereby separate yourself from Christ). You need them because you need Christ inside of them. Don't withdraw and put yourself in danger of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And likewise, they need you because they need Christ inside of you. And so, be Christ to them. Encourage them. Hold up the truth for them. If they are being deceived, help them! Open their eyes to the surpassing beauty of Christ so that you will save them. Preach the Gospel to them. We Christians desperately need to hear the Gospel every day! When they stumble, catch them. When they struggle, support them. Pray for them every day. Serve them. Love them. Love them. Love them. When it is hard, don't focus on the old and sinful nature in them, which is passing away, but rather look at the new nature- the new creation. Look for Christ in them. And love them because He is in them and He loves you. All you need is Christ. All they need is Christ. Christ is in them for you. Christ is in you for them. Love each other by being Christ for each other. Love Christ and be loved by Christ by loving them and being loved by them.
A Confession:
I have always sinfully and idolatrously absolutely needed other people. I have been so disgustingly dependant on others for my life; viewing myself through the eyes of others, measuring myself by the standards of others, and loving or hating myself through the affection or rejection of others for me. In so doing, I became a monster. I vehemently and violently attacked, lashed out at, and hurt anyone who dared to befriend me. I am deeply sorry. I hate what I was. What I've been.
A Solution:
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forevermore" –Ps. 73:25-26.
I need Him. no one else. Just Him. Him alone. I don't need a dad. He is my Father. I don't need friends. He is my Comforter. He knows me more intimately than them all. I don't need someone to love or to be loved by. He is Love. He is the Standard. He is the Beginning. And He is the End. He alone IS. Nothing else will last. Nothing else will satisfy. All is weak and contingent upon Him alone. All else is sinking sand. He is The Rock. Where else would I go or to whom else would I turn? He alone has the Words of Life. He is my Rest. My Food. My Delight. My Joy. My Shelter. My Water. My Fortress. My Protector. My Healer. My Provider. My Savior. My Redeemer. My Immortal. My Best Friend. My Only Hope. My High Priest. My Help in time of need. My Air. My Rock. My Interceder. My Contender. My Lord. My God. My Resurrection. My Life. My All in All. He is Everything. EVERYTHING. And He is mine. He's mine. Forever. Irrevocably. Forever.
A Paradox:
We need each other.
"But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand 'I have no need of you'; or again, the head to the feet 'I have no need of you'. On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary…so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body and individually members of it" – 1 Cor. 12:20-27
"Take care brethren that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the Living God. But encourage one another day after day so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" Heb. 3: 12-13.
If we do not encourage each other, we will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and will fall away from the Living God. Without each other, we Christians will die. We will. We desperately need each other. Or, more precisely, we need CHRIST in each other.
It is still true that we need nothing and no one but Christ alone. However, Christ is with us through each other. And so it is not so much that we need others in and of themselves but rather that we need the Christ who dwells richly and uniquely in others. Christ inhabits every true believer and He is manifested in manifold ways uniquely in every individual believer so that it is very true to say that we desperately need each other; that is that we need the unique manifestation of Christ through each other.
An Exhortation:
"This is My Commandment, That you love one another, just as I have loved you" –Jn. 15:12.
Fight first with all of your might to find your all in all in Christ alone. Make Him your only Treasure. Make Him your only King, the only Goal in your life, the only Satisfaction to your weak and trembling heart. Fight for this.
Then, fight with all of your might to love and be loved by that same Christ as He dwells in your brothers and sisters. Do not despise them, for if you do, then you despise Christ- for He is in them. As you do unto them, you do unto Christ. Do not separate yourself from them (and thereby separate yourself from Christ). You need them because you need Christ inside of them. Don't withdraw and put yourself in danger of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And likewise, they need you because they need Christ inside of you. And so, be Christ to them. Encourage them. Hold up the truth for them. If they are being deceived, help them! Open their eyes to the surpassing beauty of Christ so that you will save them. Preach the Gospel to them. We Christians desperately need to hear the Gospel every day! When they stumble, catch them. When they struggle, support them. Pray for them every day. Serve them. Love them. Love them. Love them. When it is hard, don't focus on the old and sinful nature in them, which is passing away, but rather look at the new nature- the new creation. Look for Christ in them. And love them because He is in them and He loves you. All you need is Christ. All they need is Christ. Christ is in them for you. Christ is in you for them. Love each other by being Christ for each other. Love Christ and be loved by Christ by loving them and being loved by them.
Furhter Up & Further In!
3-16-07
I just read an article by Piper, talking about Jonathan Edwards' descriptions of Heaven and what it will be like. I'll post the article, and then share some stuff that it reminded me of. I hope this will bless all of you as much as it did me and cause all of us to always be "looking for the country which is to come"! (Heb. 11:13-16)
Jonathan Edwards knows heaven perhaps even better than hell. Which is saying a lot in view of his reputation as one who knows hell well. I have believed this for some time because of reading his sermons on heaven (for example, "The Portion of the Righteous," "The Pure in Heart Blessed," "Praise, One of the Chief Employments of Heaven"). In addition, reading Edwards' Miscellanies on heaven and reading John Gerstner's book, "Jonathan Edwards on Heaven and Hell" (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980) show how Edwards soared in his meditations on heaven.
But only when I took up Edwards' book, The End for Which God Created the World, did I see the remarkable insight that heaven will be a never-ending, ever-increasing discovery of more and more of God's glory with greater and ever-greater joy in him.
As a child I feared heaven. Never-endingness seemed to me like frozenness. Doesn't 1 Corinthians 13:12 say, "Then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known"? And wouldn't that mean that the moment we get to heaven we will know all we are going to know, and that the rest of eternity will be never-ending sameness? Which strikes the fear of boredom into our hearts.
Edward says no. All this text must mean is that our knowledge will be accurate in heaven and no longer "through a glass darkly." It does not have to mean that we know immediately all that can be known. Rather, he reasons, God is infinite and wills to reveal himself to us for our enjoyment of his fullness forever. Yet we are finite and cannot at any time, or in any finite duration of time, comprehend the limitless, infinite fullness of God's glory. Yet God wills to lavish this fullness on us for our joy (Ephesians 2:7).
Therefore the implication is that our union with God, in the all-satisfying experience of his glory, can never be complete, but must be increasing with intimacy and intensity forever and ever. The perfection of heaven is not static. Nor do we see at once all there is to see—for the finite cannot take in all of the infinite. Our destiny is not to become God. Therefore, there will always be more for a finite creature to know and enjoy of God. The end of increasing pleasure in God will never come.
Here is the way Edwards puts it:
I suppose it will not be denied by any, that God, in glorifying the saints in heaven with eternal felicity, aims to satisfy his infinite grace or benevolence, by the bestowment of a good [which is] infinitely valuable, because eternal: and yet there never will come the moment, when it can be said, that now this infinitely valuable good has been actually bestowed (The End for Which God Created the World, ¶ 285, in God's Passion for His Glory, [Wheaton: Crossway, 1998]).
Moreover, he says, our eternal rising into more and more of God will be a
rising higher and higher through that infinite duration, and . . . not with constantly diminishing (but perhaps an increasing) [velocity] . . . [to an] infinite height; though there never will be any particular time when it can be said already to have come to such a height (¶ 279).
It will take an infinite number of ages for God to be done glorifying the wealth of his grace to us - which is to say he will never be done. And our joy will increase forever and ever. Boredom is absolutely excluded in the presence of an infinitely glorious God.
Reeling and rejoicing, Pastor John
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/1998/1109_Can_Joy_Increase_Forever/
This idea of Knowledge of God and Love for God and Joy in God increasing forever, each second better than the last, reminds me very vividly of the closing chapter of Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia". Here are a few exerpts...
"I see," she [Lucy] said at last, thoughtfully. "I see now. This garden is like the stable. It is far bigger inside than it was outside."
"Of course, Daughter of Eve," said the Faun. "The further up and the further in you go, the bigger everything gets. The inside is larger than the outside."
Lucy looked hard at the garden and saw that it was not really a garden but a whole world, with its own rivers and woods and sea and mountains. But they were not strange: she knew them all.
"I see," she said. "This is still Narnia, and more real and more beautiful than the Narnia down below, just as it was more real and more beautiful than the Narnia outside the stable door! I see…world within world, Narnia within Narnia…."
"…all of you are – as you used to call it in the Shadowlands- dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."
And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.
"Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3)
Let us press on. Further up and Further in!
I just read an article by Piper, talking about Jonathan Edwards' descriptions of Heaven and what it will be like. I'll post the article, and then share some stuff that it reminded me of. I hope this will bless all of you as much as it did me and cause all of us to always be "looking for the country which is to come"! (Heb. 11:13-16)
Jonathan Edwards knows heaven perhaps even better than hell. Which is saying a lot in view of his reputation as one who knows hell well. I have believed this for some time because of reading his sermons on heaven (for example, "The Portion of the Righteous," "The Pure in Heart Blessed," "Praise, One of the Chief Employments of Heaven"). In addition, reading Edwards' Miscellanies on heaven and reading John Gerstner's book, "Jonathan Edwards on Heaven and Hell" (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980) show how Edwards soared in his meditations on heaven.
But only when I took up Edwards' book, The End for Which God Created the World, did I see the remarkable insight that heaven will be a never-ending, ever-increasing discovery of more and more of God's glory with greater and ever-greater joy in him.
As a child I feared heaven. Never-endingness seemed to me like frozenness. Doesn't 1 Corinthians 13:12 say, "Then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known"? And wouldn't that mean that the moment we get to heaven we will know all we are going to know, and that the rest of eternity will be never-ending sameness? Which strikes the fear of boredom into our hearts.
Edward says no. All this text must mean is that our knowledge will be accurate in heaven and no longer "through a glass darkly." It does not have to mean that we know immediately all that can be known. Rather, he reasons, God is infinite and wills to reveal himself to us for our enjoyment of his fullness forever. Yet we are finite and cannot at any time, or in any finite duration of time, comprehend the limitless, infinite fullness of God's glory. Yet God wills to lavish this fullness on us for our joy (Ephesians 2:7).
Therefore the implication is that our union with God, in the all-satisfying experience of his glory, can never be complete, but must be increasing with intimacy and intensity forever and ever. The perfection of heaven is not static. Nor do we see at once all there is to see—for the finite cannot take in all of the infinite. Our destiny is not to become God. Therefore, there will always be more for a finite creature to know and enjoy of God. The end of increasing pleasure in God will never come.
Here is the way Edwards puts it:
I suppose it will not be denied by any, that God, in glorifying the saints in heaven with eternal felicity, aims to satisfy his infinite grace or benevolence, by the bestowment of a good [which is] infinitely valuable, because eternal: and yet there never will come the moment, when it can be said, that now this infinitely valuable good has been actually bestowed (The End for Which God Created the World, ¶ 285, in God's Passion for His Glory, [Wheaton: Crossway, 1998]).
Moreover, he says, our eternal rising into more and more of God will be a
rising higher and higher through that infinite duration, and . . . not with constantly diminishing (but perhaps an increasing) [velocity] . . . [to an] infinite height; though there never will be any particular time when it can be said already to have come to such a height (¶ 279).
It will take an infinite number of ages for God to be done glorifying the wealth of his grace to us - which is to say he will never be done. And our joy will increase forever and ever. Boredom is absolutely excluded in the presence of an infinitely glorious God.
Reeling and rejoicing, Pastor John
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/1998/1109_Can_Joy_Increase_Forever/
This idea of Knowledge of God and Love for God and Joy in God increasing forever, each second better than the last, reminds me very vividly of the closing chapter of Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia". Here are a few exerpts...
"I see," she [Lucy] said at last, thoughtfully. "I see now. This garden is like the stable. It is far bigger inside than it was outside."
"Of course, Daughter of Eve," said the Faun. "The further up and the further in you go, the bigger everything gets. The inside is larger than the outside."
Lucy looked hard at the garden and saw that it was not really a garden but a whole world, with its own rivers and woods and sea and mountains. But they were not strange: she knew them all.
"I see," she said. "This is still Narnia, and more real and more beautiful than the Narnia down below, just as it was more real and more beautiful than the Narnia outside the stable door! I see…world within world, Narnia within Narnia…."
"…all of you are – as you used to call it in the Shadowlands- dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."
And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.
"Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3)
Let us press on. Further up and Further in!
Confused Masculinity
3-9-07
I am furious.
I just watched 300. It was amazing. The graphics were awesome, the fight scenes blew me away and the plot was very suspenseful. But I think what made it so much more amazing was that the entire time I could not help but think of our Spiritual Warfare.
"We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). With every crushing blow, I saw my own sin being conquered…mastered by the sword. With every invigorating proclamation given by King Leonidus, I heard the rock solid proclamation of God "I WILL be exalted among the nations. I WILL be exalted in all the earth!" (Ps. 46:10) and of KING JESUS "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. GO! Therefore, and make disciples (MARTYRS!!) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of (causing them to submit to) the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey ALL that I have commanded you. And behold, I AM with you always; even to the end of the age!" (Mt. 28:19-20). This is the same Jesus from whom His enemies will hide and beg the rocks to crush them rather than face His horrible wrath (Rev. 6)
If defending Sparta and so called "freedom" is so epoch and awesome, HOW MUCH MORE is this ETERNAL battle!? How can we look at that and be amazed, then turn to the REAL battle and yawn with boredom!? This is WAR, Christian! WAKE-UP!! I mean, what in the world are we doing!? Look at us. Look at this "church". This "army" full of "soldiers" who 1) aren't equipped for battle, 2) wouldn't want to battle (because of our love for the enemy), and 3) don't even know there IS such a battle!!? For "no soldier gets entangled with civilian affairs" (2 Tim 2:4). Look at us! How pathetic!? We are obsessed with physical prowess and strength and muscle…all the while, we are Spiritual Pansies! Oh that Spiritual strength and valor would be valued so highly that physical strength would become infinitely SECONDARY! "for bodily discipline (physical muscle and beauty) is only of little profit, but Godliness (Spiritual muscle and beauty) is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come" (1 Tim. 4:8).
I am so sick of sin. I am so sick of worldliness…especially in the church. And someone may say "Well, that's just because it effects you negatively". Maybe so, but if it affects me negatively, how much more does it affect the millions of others who have it worse off than I do? That doesn't change the fact that it still IS negative! It's evil. And it's rampant in the Church to such an extent that sometimes I'd feel as if I would be doing someone who's hurting a dis-service by offering the Church as an aid. I'm sorry for this rant...but I feel that this…and much more is needed. I long to be able to fight with brothers the way they fought in that movie. But then I look around, and not only realize that we aren't fighting like them, but we aren't fighting at all! I love you all and I hope this doesn't come off as a rebuke, but an encouragement to press on more than any of us have ever dreamed ...into the front lines
I am furious.
I just watched 300. It was amazing. The graphics were awesome, the fight scenes blew me away and the plot was very suspenseful. But I think what made it so much more amazing was that the entire time I could not help but think of our Spiritual Warfare.
"We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). With every crushing blow, I saw my own sin being conquered…mastered by the sword. With every invigorating proclamation given by King Leonidus, I heard the rock solid proclamation of God "I WILL be exalted among the nations. I WILL be exalted in all the earth!" (Ps. 46:10) and of KING JESUS "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. GO! Therefore, and make disciples (MARTYRS!!) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of (causing them to submit to) the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey ALL that I have commanded you. And behold, I AM with you always; even to the end of the age!" (Mt. 28:19-20). This is the same Jesus from whom His enemies will hide and beg the rocks to crush them rather than face His horrible wrath (Rev. 6)
If defending Sparta and so called "freedom" is so epoch and awesome, HOW MUCH MORE is this ETERNAL battle!? How can we look at that and be amazed, then turn to the REAL battle and yawn with boredom!? This is WAR, Christian! WAKE-UP!! I mean, what in the world are we doing!? Look at us. Look at this "church". This "army" full of "soldiers" who 1) aren't equipped for battle, 2) wouldn't want to battle (because of our love for the enemy), and 3) don't even know there IS such a battle!!? For "no soldier gets entangled with civilian affairs" (2 Tim 2:4). Look at us! How pathetic!? We are obsessed with physical prowess and strength and muscle…all the while, we are Spiritual Pansies! Oh that Spiritual strength and valor would be valued so highly that physical strength would become infinitely SECONDARY! "for bodily discipline (physical muscle and beauty) is only of little profit, but Godliness (Spiritual muscle and beauty) is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come" (1 Tim. 4:8).
I am so sick of sin. I am so sick of worldliness…especially in the church. And someone may say "Well, that's just because it effects you negatively". Maybe so, but if it affects me negatively, how much more does it affect the millions of others who have it worse off than I do? That doesn't change the fact that it still IS negative! It's evil. And it's rampant in the Church to such an extent that sometimes I'd feel as if I would be doing someone who's hurting a dis-service by offering the Church as an aid. I'm sorry for this rant...but I feel that this…and much more is needed. I long to be able to fight with brothers the way they fought in that movie. But then I look around, and not only realize that we aren't fighting like them, but we aren't fighting at all! I love you all and I hope this doesn't come off as a rebuke, but an encouragement to press on more than any of us have ever dreamed ...into the front lines
My Best Friend
2-9-07
What would it be like to be friends with Jesus when He was 20? To be friends with the 20 year old Son of the Living God? What an awesome friend Jesus would've been. I imagine having sleepovers; staying up all night talking about God. Reading His word together and talking about the Divine Mysteries. Rejoicing quietly with tears streaming down my face as we glory in the rich wonders of God Almighty. I can't begin to imagine how awesome it would be. To look into his eyes…His youthful eyes behind which burn an undying passion for the glory of His Father. To hear Him speak of the beauties of heaven. To pray for eachother. To hear him praying for me as a brother and a friend. To hear Him speak of what must happen to Him, but to also be assured of the hope that is to come. I would say, with Peter, "I won't ever leave you" and as He did with Peter, He would prove me wrong as well. But, He would also prove to me that the exact opposite is true. "Jacob, I will never leave you nor forsake you. You are my friend and my brother. I lay down my life for you. I love you. I will always love you." Oh how great is the love of God that He would send His Son in the likeness of human flesh in order to communicate it to me…to us. Jesus, I love You so much. I feel like we have been friends for a lifetime. You know me so well, and the little bit that I've come to know You is amazing beyond description. I can't wait to see You face to face. To be held in Your arms. To talk with You and walk with You as You show me around your awesome kingdom. Oh, my Jesus…my Best Friend, my Savior, my Brother, my King…come Lord. Come.
What would it be like to be friends with Jesus when He was 20? To be friends with the 20 year old Son of the Living God? What an awesome friend Jesus would've been. I imagine having sleepovers; staying up all night talking about God. Reading His word together and talking about the Divine Mysteries. Rejoicing quietly with tears streaming down my face as we glory in the rich wonders of God Almighty. I can't begin to imagine how awesome it would be. To look into his eyes…His youthful eyes behind which burn an undying passion for the glory of His Father. To hear Him speak of the beauties of heaven. To pray for eachother. To hear him praying for me as a brother and a friend. To hear Him speak of what must happen to Him, but to also be assured of the hope that is to come. I would say, with Peter, "I won't ever leave you" and as He did with Peter, He would prove me wrong as well. But, He would also prove to me that the exact opposite is true. "Jacob, I will never leave you nor forsake you. You are my friend and my brother. I lay down my life for you. I love you. I will always love you." Oh how great is the love of God that He would send His Son in the likeness of human flesh in order to communicate it to me…to us. Jesus, I love You so much. I feel like we have been friends for a lifetime. You know me so well, and the little bit that I've come to know You is amazing beyond description. I can't wait to see You face to face. To be held in Your arms. To talk with You and walk with You as You show me around your awesome kingdom. Oh, my Jesus…my Best Friend, my Savior, my Brother, my King…come Lord. Come.
Press On!
1-30-07
For anyone who longs to see more....
You say you only see a little, but the point is that you see! You see! Marvel at your sight! What a miracle! Now we see as through a glass darkly but then…oh then we will see face to face! Brothers, do not be discouraged that you do not see as well as another. Rather rejoice with joy unspeakable that you see and know that partial sight is the first fruits of full perfect vision! Consider the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3;
"12Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
"I have not obtained it yet" he says. The Great Apostle Paul! The man who wrote Romans! The man who wrote 1/3 of the books in the New Testament! This man did not see as well as he would have liked. Ha! But, he pressed on! "I have not laid hold of it yet, brethren, but ONE THING I do!" One thing! One thing! One thing! I press on! I don't have it yet. I press on! Further up and further in brothers! Let us go further up and further in! Let us press on for the goal! Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, PRESS ON! There is nothing to go back to, nothing to look back to. Your lack of sight now is only more motivation to press on all the more fervently in Christ! Do you not realize that you will never see all there is to see of God and the riches and His glory!? Oh "the breadth and length and height and depth"!(Eph. 3:18). "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" (Rom.11:33). That is the beauty of the infinite God. That is the glorious hope of ETERNAL life! An eternity of seeing MORE! Every second, more than the previous. Further up and further in! But why, oh brothers, why should we wait until that day!? Why should we waste a moment here on earth? There is no reason at all. And so, brothers, no matter what your current measure of faith (whether "large" or "small"), whatever your current level of sight, whatever bogs you've been through or are currently in, whatever heights on which you've soared or depths to which you've plunged, whatever lies behind, brothers, PRESS ON! Press on to know the Him!
For anyone who longs to see more....
You say you only see a little, but the point is that you see! You see! Marvel at your sight! What a miracle! Now we see as through a glass darkly but then…oh then we will see face to face! Brothers, do not be discouraged that you do not see as well as another. Rather rejoice with joy unspeakable that you see and know that partial sight is the first fruits of full perfect vision! Consider the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3;
"12Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
"I have not obtained it yet" he says. The Great Apostle Paul! The man who wrote Romans! The man who wrote 1/3 of the books in the New Testament! This man did not see as well as he would have liked. Ha! But, he pressed on! "I have not laid hold of it yet, brethren, but ONE THING I do!" One thing! One thing! One thing! I press on! I don't have it yet. I press on! Further up and further in brothers! Let us go further up and further in! Let us press on for the goal! Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, PRESS ON! There is nothing to go back to, nothing to look back to. Your lack of sight now is only more motivation to press on all the more fervently in Christ! Do you not realize that you will never see all there is to see of God and the riches and His glory!? Oh "the breadth and length and height and depth"!(Eph. 3:18). "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" (Rom.11:33). That is the beauty of the infinite God. That is the glorious hope of ETERNAL life! An eternity of seeing MORE! Every second, more than the previous. Further up and further in! But why, oh brothers, why should we wait until that day!? Why should we waste a moment here on earth? There is no reason at all. And so, brothers, no matter what your current measure of faith (whether "large" or "small"), whatever your current level of sight, whatever bogs you've been through or are currently in, whatever heights on which you've soared or depths to which you've plunged, whatever lies behind, brothers, PRESS ON! Press on to know the Him!
Don't Diminish Hell!
12-13-06
The doctrine of hell as the everlasting conscious punishment of unsaved sinners has been widely questioned and attacked as of late. Many are beginning to entertain ideas that sinners (who are apart from Christ) either cease to exist (Annihilationism) or that they only stay in hell until they "learn their lesson". Regardless of the peculiarities, any doctrine that denies eternal conscious punishment for unsaved sinners is dangerously wicked. In order to see the extent of this wickedness, one must only think clearly about the purpose of hell and it's relation to other Biblical truths; namely the wickedness of sin, the horror of the cross, and the greatness of God's glory.
Hell and Sin
Hell is the righteous and just punishment poured out by God on sin (and sinners). Its gruesomeness and its breadth directly correspond to the wickedness and breadth of sin. It is important to remember that sin is primarily an evil, rebellious, and defiant offense against the infinite God which tarnishes His infinite value and His infinite glory. Sin is therefore an infinite offense which justly deserves an infinite punishment. Often it is a diminished view of personal sin which leads to a diminished view of hell. May the horrors of hell ever remind us of the wickedness of our sin and of the penalty we therefore so justly deserve.
Hell and the Cross
The wrath of God which Christ endured for those who are in Him is the very wrath which will be endured by those who are not in Him. Christ literally endured Hell on the cross. To the extent that Hell is diminished, so is the cross of Christ. One may object saying "but Christ did not spend eternity enduring Hell and therefore Hell could not be eternal". Such a one has obviously forgotten the eternal nature of Christ. Infinite sin deserves infinite punishment (as seen above). Infinite punishment is satisfied either infinitely on a finite creature (in Hell) or finitely on an infinite Being (on the cross). "I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross" is the sobering truth wrung forth by mournful worshipers many Sunday mornings. I wonder though, how many truly believe that. If hell were not eternal, there would come a point in time when one could truly say "I have experienced (known) the full extent of the cost of sin". However, if hell is indeed eternal, no one can every fully know the depth of the cost of sin. May the horrors of hell forever remind us of the deep horrors of the cross.
Hell and God's Glory
If eternal Hell is the just punishment of belittling God's glory, than oh how inexplicably glorious must He be! But if the punishment be belittled, then the offense is also belittled. And if the offense be belittled, then The Offended is also belittled. God forbid that The Offended should ever be belittled! See how Man's stupid "wisdom" has made the God of the Universe out to be less than what He is!? Oh, the horrible consequences of ideas! Dare you in your pride and your vain "love for Mankind" diminish the wickedness of your sin, the horror of the cross and the greatness of the splendor of the Glory of God!? May the eternal flames of Hell ever burn with white hot echoes of the eternal Glory of God!
Eternal torment passing age into age
forever proclaiming my just wage.
Eternal shrieks of all who've died
forever singing Christ Crucified.
Eternal flame with enduring glow
forever burning, His glory to show
**I don't think/ write about these things lightly, but rather with tears in my eyes**
Hell and Sin
Hell is the righteous and just punishment poured out by God on sin (and sinners). Its gruesomeness and its breadth directly correspond to the wickedness and breadth of sin. It is important to remember that sin is primarily an evil, rebellious, and defiant offense against the infinite God which tarnishes His infinite value and His infinite glory. Sin is therefore an infinite offense which justly deserves an infinite punishment. Often it is a diminished view of personal sin which leads to a diminished view of hell. May the horrors of hell ever remind us of the wickedness of our sin and of the penalty we therefore so justly deserve.
Hell and the Cross
The wrath of God which Christ endured for those who are in Him is the very wrath which will be endured by those who are not in Him. Christ literally endured Hell on the cross. To the extent that Hell is diminished, so is the cross of Christ. One may object saying "but Christ did not spend eternity enduring Hell and therefore Hell could not be eternal". Such a one has obviously forgotten the eternal nature of Christ. Infinite sin deserves infinite punishment (as seen above). Infinite punishment is satisfied either infinitely on a finite creature (in Hell) or finitely on an infinite Being (on the cross). "I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross" is the sobering truth wrung forth by mournful worshipers many Sunday mornings. I wonder though, how many truly believe that. If hell were not eternal, there would come a point in time when one could truly say "I have experienced (known) the full extent of the cost of sin". However, if hell is indeed eternal, no one can every fully know the depth of the cost of sin. May the horrors of hell forever remind us of the deep horrors of the cross.
Hell and God's Glory
If eternal Hell is the just punishment of belittling God's glory, than oh how inexplicably glorious must He be! But if the punishment be belittled, then the offense is also belittled. And if the offense be belittled, then The Offended is also belittled. God forbid that The Offended should ever be belittled! See how Man's stupid "wisdom" has made the God of the Universe out to be less than what He is!? Oh, the horrible consequences of ideas! Dare you in your pride and your vain "love for Mankind" diminish the wickedness of your sin, the horror of the cross and the greatness of the splendor of the Glory of God!? May the eternal flames of Hell ever burn with white hot echoes of the eternal Glory of God!
Eternal torment passing age into age
forever proclaiming my just wage.
Eternal shrieks of all who've died
forever singing Christ Crucified.
Eternal flame with enduring glow
forever burning, His glory to show
**I don't think/ write about these things lightly, but rather with tears in my eyes**
The Divine Mystery of Gain in Loss
11-27-06
Whoever seeks to gain his life must lose it…
Whatever (except Christ) I wish to gain, I must first lose. Anything I think to have which I do not have in Christ, I do not actually have at all. Whatever I lose for the sake of Christ, I gain in Christ. I must not, however, attempt to lose anything (whatever it may be) with the goal of gaining it- thereby using Christ. Rather when I lose something for Christ, I am to forfeit all affections (desires/ longings) for that thing in order that the affection may be devoted completely to Christ (this is what is meant by losing it). This takes great faith. I first must believe that having Christ is better than having that thing. I must also believe (as Christ promises) that I will indeed (and truly) have that thing (and all the God-centered pleasure that is supposed to accompany it) in Christ; for I cannot actually have anything that I do not have in Christ. Any joy we think we derive from things in this world apart from God is not joy at all, but utter depravity. Nothing in this world can possibly yield true joy to us unless it (the thing itself and the joy) is had by us in Christ; given by Christ, experienced through Christ, and enjoyed unto the splendor of the glory of Christ. We must let go of every low joy. In fact, we must come to see (by faith) that what we are holding on to is actually nothing at all and that our "letting go" is in fact a "hanging on" to what is really there. Those things that we so tightly hold on to in this life are not things at all; we are holding on to no-thing. We must let go in order to grasp hold of The-thing.
This has huge implications in my life. My heart (every second) is chasing and longing after so many things. God is saying to me "Jacob; do you really want it!? Then lose it! Lose it for MY sake". I can only imagine what glorious freedom would be granted to me if I truly believed this to the depth of my being. What freedom I would have if my heart was united in its singular pursuit after God (the Invisible) trusting that He is more real and more satisfying than the Visible- and trusting that everything I lose for His sake I will gain a hundred fold in the life to come. Oh God, grant me this faith-this freedom!
"You want to gain your life, don't you? Then lose it!"
"You want to gain your friends, don't you? Then lose them!"
"You want to gain your wife, don't you? Then lose her!"
"You want to gain your children, don't you? Then lose them!"
"Lose it all, and turn to Me...that you may have the All in All!"
Oh God, grant to your people eyes to see!
Whoever seeks to gain his life must lose it…
Whatever (except Christ) I wish to gain, I must first lose. Anything I think to have which I do not have in Christ, I do not actually have at all. Whatever I lose for the sake of Christ, I gain in Christ. I must not, however, attempt to lose anything (whatever it may be) with the goal of gaining it- thereby using Christ. Rather when I lose something for Christ, I am to forfeit all affections (desires/ longings) for that thing in order that the affection may be devoted completely to Christ (this is what is meant by losing it). This takes great faith. I first must believe that having Christ is better than having that thing. I must also believe (as Christ promises) that I will indeed (and truly) have that thing (and all the God-centered pleasure that is supposed to accompany it) in Christ; for I cannot actually have anything that I do not have in Christ. Any joy we think we derive from things in this world apart from God is not joy at all, but utter depravity. Nothing in this world can possibly yield true joy to us unless it (the thing itself and the joy) is had by us in Christ; given by Christ, experienced through Christ, and enjoyed unto the splendor of the glory of Christ. We must let go of every low joy. In fact, we must come to see (by faith) that what we are holding on to is actually nothing at all and that our "letting go" is in fact a "hanging on" to what is really there. Those things that we so tightly hold on to in this life are not things at all; we are holding on to no-thing. We must let go in order to grasp hold of The-thing.
This has huge implications in my life. My heart (every second) is chasing and longing after so many things. God is saying to me "Jacob; do you really want it!? Then lose it! Lose it for MY sake". I can only imagine what glorious freedom would be granted to me if I truly believed this to the depth of my being. What freedom I would have if my heart was united in its singular pursuit after God (the Invisible) trusting that He is more real and more satisfying than the Visible- and trusting that everything I lose for His sake I will gain a hundred fold in the life to come. Oh God, grant me this faith-this freedom!
"You want to gain your life, don't you? Then lose it!"
"You want to gain your friends, don't you? Then lose them!"
"You want to gain your wife, don't you? Then lose her!"
"You want to gain your children, don't you? Then lose them!"
"Lose it all, and turn to Me...that you may have the All in All!"
Oh God, grant to your people eyes to see!
Would God Command of us Something that is Beyond Our Capability to do?
9-16-06
I've heard it said (far too often) by many influential and non-influential people alike that "God would not command of us something that we cannot do". This phrase is usually employed by the speaker in order to assure that we are capable of doing something that is commanded of us in scripture. A good example would be the following;
Love is commanded. God would not command of us something that we cannot do. Therefore, we must be able to obediently love.
(You could substitute the command for love with any other command from God.)
This sounds very profound at first hearing, but is it true? Would God command of us something that we cannot (in & of ourselves) do? Let us assume that God wouldn't command something beyond our capabilities. This means that God consulted and took into account our capabilities before He devised His commandments and holy standards. (Now you may start to see the slippery slope we are sliding down). This means that our capability-not His holy character- is the basis/ standard for God's holy Law. However, don't Christians everywhere believe and say that God's law is based on who He is and it is therefore unchanging and necessary and not whimsical. But if God consults our capabilities before drafting His Law, then it is no longer based on His Holy unchanging character. Therefore, it is not necessarily unchanging or un-whimsical. If God's Law is not based on His Holy character, but rather our capabilities, then why is it what it is? If God's Law is not based on His Holiness, than He is really free to draft it in any way. He doesn't have to uphold any standards. You see, this notion that God doesn't command something that is beyond our capability implies that God thought to Himself "well, it can't be beyond their capability, so I'll make it do-able. But I'll make it so that it's really really hard"? Why did He make it so hard? If He desires all to be saved, why not devise the Law in such a way so that we would be more capable to obey? In fact, why have a Law at all!?
I hope-after thinking about it- you see how foolish this notion is. I am not necessarily trying to prove that we can't obey God's Law (that is a completely separate issue). I am simply getting rid of the above notion that God's Law cannot be beyond our ability to obey it. So I'm NOT saying "we can't obey God's Law". I AM saying "it is possible (logically & theologically) for us to be incapable of obeying God's Law".
God's Law must be based in who He is. It must be modeled after His Holy Character. God's standards are what they are because God is who He is. This is true REGARDLESS of human capability. It must be true. Our inability to obey does not change God's holy standards! "But" you will likely object "how can He declare us guilty for not being able to obey?" Well, the problem with that question is the false American assumptions about the relationship between capability & responsibility. But instead of getting into all the philosophy, it's much quicker to simply answer with Scripture. You know, somebody in Scripture asked a very similar question. It was Paul's imaginary objector.
"You will say to me then 'Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?'" (Rm. 9:19).
Let me rephrase that a little to match our current discussion:
You will say to me then "Why does He still find fault? For who can keep His commandments?"
What was Paul's answer?
"On the contrary, who are you O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Rm. 9:20).
I've heard it said (far too often) by many influential and non-influential people alike that "God would not command of us something that we cannot do". This phrase is usually employed by the speaker in order to assure that we are capable of doing something that is commanded of us in scripture. A good example would be the following;
Love is commanded. God would not command of us something that we cannot do. Therefore, we must be able to obediently love.
(You could substitute the command for love with any other command from God.)
This sounds very profound at first hearing, but is it true? Would God command of us something that we cannot (in & of ourselves) do? Let us assume that God wouldn't command something beyond our capabilities. This means that God consulted and took into account our capabilities before He devised His commandments and holy standards. (Now you may start to see the slippery slope we are sliding down). This means that our capability-not His holy character- is the basis/ standard for God's holy Law. However, don't Christians everywhere believe and say that God's law is based on who He is and it is therefore unchanging and necessary and not whimsical. But if God consults our capabilities before drafting His Law, then it is no longer based on His Holy unchanging character. Therefore, it is not necessarily unchanging or un-whimsical. If God's Law is not based on His Holy character, but rather our capabilities, then why is it what it is? If God's Law is not based on His Holiness, than He is really free to draft it in any way. He doesn't have to uphold any standards. You see, this notion that God doesn't command something that is beyond our capability implies that God thought to Himself "well, it can't be beyond their capability, so I'll make it do-able. But I'll make it so that it's really really hard"? Why did He make it so hard? If He desires all to be saved, why not devise the Law in such a way so that we would be more capable to obey? In fact, why have a Law at all!?
I hope-after thinking about it- you see how foolish this notion is. I am not necessarily trying to prove that we can't obey God's Law (that is a completely separate issue). I am simply getting rid of the above notion that God's Law cannot be beyond our ability to obey it. So I'm NOT saying "we can't obey God's Law". I AM saying "it is possible (logically & theologically) for us to be incapable of obeying God's Law".
God's Law must be based in who He is. It must be modeled after His Holy Character. God's standards are what they are because God is who He is. This is true REGARDLESS of human capability. It must be true. Our inability to obey does not change God's holy standards! "But" you will likely object "how can He declare us guilty for not being able to obey?" Well, the problem with that question is the false American assumptions about the relationship between capability & responsibility. But instead of getting into all the philosophy, it's much quicker to simply answer with Scripture. You know, somebody in Scripture asked a very similar question. It was Paul's imaginary objector.
"You will say to me then 'Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?'" (Rm. 9:19).
Let me rephrase that a little to match our current discussion:
You will say to me then "Why does He still find fault? For who can keep His commandments?"
What was Paul's answer?
"On the contrary, who are you O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Rm. 9:20).
A Desperate Plea to A Jealous God
6-29-06
I cannot escape the snares of the enemy. with every step there are traps and with every breath there is deciet. Darkness resides in my heart and flourishes all around me. Many are my enemies. They know my weaknesses; they know them all too well. Masters of misery, they torment me. The abyss opens beneath my feet and swallows me whole. The darkness engulfs me. Hope is eaten away by doubt and faith by fear. i hate these devils; they will not cease.
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me! 2Take hold of shield and buckler
and rise for my help! 3Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers!
Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!" 4Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life!
Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! 6Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them! (Psalm 35:1-6).
My God, You are a jealous God. Be envious for my soul..for my affections, my hope, my faith and my trust. Be envious to possess all of me and fight with all your all-mighty power to obtain what you desire. When the enemy tries to steal me away, shout "MINE!" in holy wrath and destroy him who would take me away from you. My hope, oh God, is in your all-mighty jealousy. Rise up and defend what is yours.
I cannot escape the snares of the enemy. with every step there are traps and with every breath there is deciet. Darkness resides in my heart and flourishes all around me. Many are my enemies. They know my weaknesses; they know them all too well. Masters of misery, they torment me. The abyss opens beneath my feet and swallows me whole. The darkness engulfs me. Hope is eaten away by doubt and faith by fear. i hate these devils; they will not cease.
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me! 2Take hold of shield and buckler
and rise for my help! 3Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers!
Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!" 4Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life!
Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! 6Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them! (Psalm 35:1-6).
My God, You are a jealous God. Be envious for my soul..for my affections, my hope, my faith and my trust. Be envious to possess all of me and fight with all your all-mighty power to obtain what you desire. When the enemy tries to steal me away, shout "MINE!" in holy wrath and destroy him who would take me away from you. My hope, oh God, is in your all-mighty jealousy. Rise up and defend what is yours.
A Loving Plea from a Jealous God
4-19-06
Jacob, I dont just hate your sin because its wrong. I hate your sin because it is receiving what I deserve. It is receiving your love and devotion. But you are Mine. I bought you with a price. I want your affections. I want your desires and your devotion. I want your love. Why do you give it away to others? Why do you play the harlot!? Love Me. Desire Me. Seek after Me. When you are hurting, when you are hungry or empty, why do you not come to Me? Why does your heart chase after others? Is there some lack in Me!? Does the Fountain lack that you should turn to the sand!? What have they that I do not? What can I not give you? Indeed, what will I not give you? I gave up my Son! How will I not also, with Him, freely give you all things!?
Oh Jacob, what desire have you that I cannot satisfy? What longing have you that I cannot fulfill? What lack have you that I cannot make complete. Who knows you better than I; I who formed you from the dust? Who can sympathize with your weaknesses more than I; I who was tempted in every respect just as you are? Where will you find more patience!? What love is deeper than Mine!? How is it that you turn to the creation and despise the Creator!? I am jealous for you, oh Jacob! I am jealous that your love would belong to Me and to no one else! You are Mine. Come to Me. Turn to Me. Seek My face.
Jacob, I dont just hate your sin because its wrong. I hate your sin because it is receiving what I deserve. It is receiving your love and devotion. But you are Mine. I bought you with a price. I want your affections. I want your desires and your devotion. I want your love. Why do you give it away to others? Why do you play the harlot!? Love Me. Desire Me. Seek after Me. When you are hurting, when you are hungry or empty, why do you not come to Me? Why does your heart chase after others? Is there some lack in Me!? Does the Fountain lack that you should turn to the sand!? What have they that I do not? What can I not give you? Indeed, what will I not give you? I gave up my Son! How will I not also, with Him, freely give you all things!?
Oh Jacob, what desire have you that I cannot satisfy? What longing have you that I cannot fulfill? What lack have you that I cannot make complete. Who knows you better than I; I who formed you from the dust? Who can sympathize with your weaknesses more than I; I who was tempted in every respect just as you are? Where will you find more patience!? What love is deeper than Mine!? How is it that you turn to the creation and despise the Creator!? I am jealous for you, oh Jacob! I am jealous that your love would belong to Me and to no one else! You are Mine. Come to Me. Turn to Me. Seek My face.
Letter to My Future Children
4-17-06
This was a really cool writing assignment for my English class...it's really sobering to not only think about my future children, but to realize that they are going to go through many hard times...
English Assignment: Write an essay directed toward your future children with warning and advice about adolescence.
My dearest children,
The next few years of your life are going to be some of the hardest. The amount of new things you will encounter will seem endless; new emotions, new people, new responsibilities, new ideas, new evils, new temptations and in all of these, new extremes. You will grow weary and weak. You will be confused and frustrated. You will think you are without help, without hope. But you arent. In the midst of all the darkness and confusion, there is Light and you must hold fast to that Light. You will receive much advice, but above all, you must have a firm and ever-strengthening grip on God. Know Him. Know Him. Above all else, strive to know Him. Find your fulfillment in Him alone. Satan will offer many replacements via the world, via your friends- but none will fill you the way God does. None will satisfy you more than He can. Remember Psalm 4:7; You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their fruit and new wine abound. Remember Psalm 16:11; You make known to me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Do not be deceived. Do not believe that anything else will fill you. Believe these promises. Believe that God is better; indeed, He is best! Believe it. Fight with all that you are to believe that. Thirst after God. Thirst for the joy of being with Him. In the midst of all, drink deep from the fountain of living water (Jer. 2:13).
However, when you have been satisfied by Him, do not hold His joy to yourself, lest you dry up like the Dead Sea. Let your joy in God overflow abundantly in love toward those around you. Love your brothers and sisters. Love them with a real and deep love. Pour yourself out for your hurting friends at school. Many are lost. Many are deceived. Many are addicted to the sands of the world; enslaved to what they hate, because they know nothing better. Show them Water. Let them see how good the Water is. Let them taste & see that the Water is good. Take them water. Take them love. Take them God.
I love you my children, and I am praying for you.
This was a really cool writing assignment for my English class...it's really sobering to not only think about my future children, but to realize that they are going to go through many hard times...
English Assignment: Write an essay directed toward your future children with warning and advice about adolescence.
My dearest children,
The next few years of your life are going to be some of the hardest. The amount of new things you will encounter will seem endless; new emotions, new people, new responsibilities, new ideas, new evils, new temptations and in all of these, new extremes. You will grow weary and weak. You will be confused and frustrated. You will think you are without help, without hope. But you arent. In the midst of all the darkness and confusion, there is Light and you must hold fast to that Light. You will receive much advice, but above all, you must have a firm and ever-strengthening grip on God. Know Him. Know Him. Above all else, strive to know Him. Find your fulfillment in Him alone. Satan will offer many replacements via the world, via your friends- but none will fill you the way God does. None will satisfy you more than He can. Remember Psalm 4:7; You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their fruit and new wine abound. Remember Psalm 16:11; You make known to me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Do not be deceived. Do not believe that anything else will fill you. Believe these promises. Believe that God is better; indeed, He is best! Believe it. Fight with all that you are to believe that. Thirst after God. Thirst for the joy of being with Him. In the midst of all, drink deep from the fountain of living water (Jer. 2:13).
However, when you have been satisfied by Him, do not hold His joy to yourself, lest you dry up like the Dead Sea. Let your joy in God overflow abundantly in love toward those around you. Love your brothers and sisters. Love them with a real and deep love. Pour yourself out for your hurting friends at school. Many are lost. Many are deceived. Many are addicted to the sands of the world; enslaved to what they hate, because they know nothing better. Show them Water. Let them see how good the Water is. Let them taste & see that the Water is good. Take them water. Take them love. Take them God.
I love you my children, and I am praying for you.
Temporal Darkness. Eternal Light.
4-12-06
When all else fades away, You forever endure. Everything is fleeting, fading away. The Domain of Darkness, though seeming to thrive, is dead and perishing. The Kingdom of Light, though not yet seen, reigns victorious. The dawn is coming. The Son has risen. The rays of His glory have begun to break over the distant horizon. Awake! Arise you Children of Light! Your King has overcome. He quickly approaches. No longer will you be pilgrims; a people with no land. But the land in which you sojourn is your very inheritance. Rejoice in the Lord of Light, for the Darkness will soon be no more!
When all else fades away, You forever endure. Everything is fleeting, fading away. The Domain of Darkness, though seeming to thrive, is dead and perishing. The Kingdom of Light, though not yet seen, reigns victorious. The dawn is coming. The Son has risen. The rays of His glory have begun to break over the distant horizon. Awake! Arise you Children of Light! Your King has overcome. He quickly approaches. No longer will you be pilgrims; a people with no land. But the land in which you sojourn is your very inheritance. Rejoice in the Lord of Light, for the Darkness will soon be no more!
The Intermingling of Sorrow and Joy
1-15-06
It's been said (i think by Jonathon Edwards) that every Christian joy is a broken hearted joy. Why is this? The main reason that every Christian joy is a broken hearted joy is because of the broken Christ on the cross by which every joy was purchased for us. Let me give an example:
I was with some friends the other night (a bunch of friends) and we were hanging out and laughing and really bonding in some ways. I had been longing for a while to have something like that and as it was happening, i thought of God and how thankful i was for His gift of good friends. Then i was reminded that this gift... (however small in comparison to others such as salvation, etc...)...this gift cost a high price. It was bought on the cross; the bloody, sorrowful, gruesome cross. As i contemplated on that it didnt ruin my joy (as some would think it would)..but rather it made me so much more deeply appreciative...it made the joy transform from a worldly shallow joy into a Godly deep joy which had its roots wrapped around the cross of Christ.
This is how i want to view every joy and every blessing that comes to me (and to others in Christ). May we never view blessings & joy through anything except the horribly bloody cross of Christ by which every happiness, blessing and joy was purchased for us who believe.
"Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (2 Cor 6:10)
More on this later...maybe.
It's been said (i think by Jonathon Edwards) that every Christian joy is a broken hearted joy. Why is this? The main reason that every Christian joy is a broken hearted joy is because of the broken Christ on the cross by which every joy was purchased for us. Let me give an example:
I was with some friends the other night (a bunch of friends) and we were hanging out and laughing and really bonding in some ways. I had been longing for a while to have something like that and as it was happening, i thought of God and how thankful i was for His gift of good friends. Then i was reminded that this gift... (however small in comparison to others such as salvation, etc...)...this gift cost a high price. It was bought on the cross; the bloody, sorrowful, gruesome cross. As i contemplated on that it didnt ruin my joy (as some would think it would)..but rather it made me so much more deeply appreciative...it made the joy transform from a worldly shallow joy into a Godly deep joy which had its roots wrapped around the cross of Christ.
This is how i want to view every joy and every blessing that comes to me (and to others in Christ). May we never view blessings & joy through anything except the horribly bloody cross of Christ by which every happiness, blessing and joy was purchased for us who believe.
"Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (2 Cor 6:10)
More on this later...maybe.
ONE Thing
1-5-06
One thing...
"One thing have i desired of the Lord and that shall i seek: that i may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire within His temple" -Psalm 27:4
I find that there are many things in my life and in my heart that i desire and want, but i know that in the depths of my being the one thing i want above all other things is to be with my God. That's why i love this verse. It expresses THE deepest longing of my soul. Think about it...ponder it: To dwell in the house of the Lord, the house of His glory, the place where His glory dwells. The place where creatures bow before His throne crying "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come" and where giant seraphim with wings that stretch to the horizon shake the foundations of the universe as they also cry "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is fully of His glory". More than anything else i want to be there! The place where the Infinite Glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit emmanate to each other and are reflceted by each other. The place in which dwells Joy, Itself & Pleasure, Itself & Ecstacy, Itself. The place where the The Fathers Joy in the Son overflows and the Son's Joy in the father overflows. Oh Better is one day...one second in His courts that an eternity elsewhere.
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. ....i'm speachless at the mere thought. Just the thought of seeing the beauty of God makes me despise every low image my eyes have lusted after. The beauty, the majesty, the glory of God Almighty. How big, how rich, how powerful, how stunningly perfect....how speachless i will be. I absolutely love what i see in the scriptures of God. I love all of his wonderful and unique attributes, but now i see dimly as in a mirror....then I will see face to face! Absolutely amazing! Oh how i long to be united with my God, my creator, my redeemer, my savior, my Lord, my exceeding joy, my Jesus! oh just to bow at the feet of Christ.. my soul longs for you oh Lord. When i ponder the riches of being with my God, i despise all the lusts of my heart. I despise the things i bow down to on earth and pray with all my heart that God will direct my heart toward Him and Him alone.
ONE thing Lord...one thing....I just want to be with You. Amen.
One thing...
"One thing have i desired of the Lord and that shall i seek: that i may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire within His temple" -Psalm 27:4
I find that there are many things in my life and in my heart that i desire and want, but i know that in the depths of my being the one thing i want above all other things is to be with my God. That's why i love this verse. It expresses THE deepest longing of my soul. Think about it...ponder it: To dwell in the house of the Lord, the house of His glory, the place where His glory dwells. The place where creatures bow before His throne crying "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come" and where giant seraphim with wings that stretch to the horizon shake the foundations of the universe as they also cry "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is fully of His glory". More than anything else i want to be there! The place where the Infinite Glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit emmanate to each other and are reflceted by each other. The place in which dwells Joy, Itself & Pleasure, Itself & Ecstacy, Itself. The place where the The Fathers Joy in the Son overflows and the Son's Joy in the father overflows. Oh Better is one day...one second in His courts that an eternity elsewhere.
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. ....i'm speachless at the mere thought. Just the thought of seeing the beauty of God makes me despise every low image my eyes have lusted after. The beauty, the majesty, the glory of God Almighty. How big, how rich, how powerful, how stunningly perfect....how speachless i will be. I absolutely love what i see in the scriptures of God. I love all of his wonderful and unique attributes, but now i see dimly as in a mirror....then I will see face to face! Absolutely amazing! Oh how i long to be united with my God, my creator, my redeemer, my savior, my Lord, my exceeding joy, my Jesus! oh just to bow at the feet of Christ.. my soul longs for you oh Lord. When i ponder the riches of being with my God, i despise all the lusts of my heart. I despise the things i bow down to on earth and pray with all my heart that God will direct my heart toward Him and Him alone.
ONE thing Lord...one thing....I just want to be with You. Amen.
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