Blog
This Momentary Marriage: Ian & Larissa’s Story
I first watched this video on Justin Taylor’s blog and found it incredibly encouraging to my soul! Our God works wonders in the hearts of His children! Of the video, John Piper says:
I tremble with the glad responsibility of introducing you to Ian & Larissa Murphy in this video. Tremble, because it is their story and so personal. So delicate. So easily abused. So unfinished. Glad, because Christ is exalted over all things.
You can go to Desiring God to read more about Ian, Larissa and their marriage in these posts: Why We Got Married, Learning Contentment in Suffering, and A Daily Disabled Life.
The Story of Ian & Larissa from Desiring God on Vimeo.
Gilbert Shooting Victims Relief Fund
We here at Sovereign Grace are absolutely heartbroken by the shooting that occurred in Gilbert this week. It is terrible that part of our community – our neighbors – are suffering the loss of loved ones and the trauma of surviving such an event. Our deep desire is to come alongside these families both in prayer and in practical ways.
We are very pleased that Arby’s has agreed to cooperate in our efforts to raise money for the families affected by the shooting. Our hope is that these funds will alleviate some of the financial burden that comes with funeral arrangements and time off work. Please help us communicate our love and sorrow for them by participating in the following ways:
Where
Arby’s on Baseline, west of Val Vista Drive
480-558-3434
3535 E. Baseline Rd
Gilbert, AZ 85234
Arby’s on Market Street, between Pecos & Williams Field
480-792-6659
2889 S Market St
Gilbert, AZ 85295
When
Saturday, May 5th, 11:00am to 8:00pm
How
- Print and present the corresponding coupon (Flier 1) (Flier 2). 20% of your purchase will go toward the funeral costs of the families affected by the shooting.
- Get the word out by sharing this link (share via email, twitter, Facebook, or print extras and bring them with you everywhere)
- Pray for comfort for the families of Lisa Mederos (47), Amber Mederos (23), Jim “Jambob” Hiott (24), and Lilly, Amber’s 15-month-old daughter.
Avoiding the Abyss of Ungratefulness
My wife Tiffany is inching closer to the due date of our fourth child and, because of some concerns for premature labor, has been on bed rest for the last week. Trust me, it has seemed longer. I’ve learned more about gratefulness, and more precisely about my ungratefulness, over this last week than I’ve learned in the last year. Now, I know that she does a lot around the house and that she does a lot with the kids but I think that I had forgotten exactly HOW MUCH she does around the house and HOW MUCH she does with the kids and was therefore lacking in appropriate amounts of gratefulness for her.
If we’re not careful, our Christian lives can meander down this road too. When we fail to recall exactly how good God has been to us we can begin to show signs of taking a stroll toward the abyss of ungratefulness, perhaps even questioning God’s goodness. Psalm 106 helps us on how to avoid this. It begins:
Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Why should we give thanks to the Lord with hearts overflowing with unabashed gratefulness? It’s because God is good and has been, and is, and will be steadfast in His enduring love for us. We ought to remember! Remember who we were before He broke into our lives. Remember His grace that says, “I know who you are and what you’ve done, but you are righteous in my eyes and your sin is removed from my presence because I crushed my Son for you.” Remember that in His love we are called children, not enemies. Remember that because of Him our hopeless and pathetic lives are full of hope and joy.
Do you ever find yourself more aware of what God hasn’t done for you than what God has done for you? Are you ever lacking in affection for the Lord with no desire to praise Him? Perhaps you’re not taking the time to remember how good He has been to you.
The danger of forgetfulness is that if we aren’t careful, we will quickly find ourselves failing to recall God’s persistent love and grace, gradually slipping into the abyss of ungratefulness. Rather, let us continually seek to “give thanks for the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”
AOR Report
As I said this past Sunday, Ambassadors of Reconciliation (AOR) has finished their report regarding Sovereign Grace Ministries. Below is the post from Sovereign Grace Ministries about the report along with the linked PDF of the report document. We are grateful for the way that AoR has served Sovereign Grace Ministries in this challenging season.
While we don’t think that every aspect of the report is indicative of every Sovereign Grace Church, we generally agree with their findings and welcome the input of these men to our family of churches. We trust that this input will help us to continue to grow as a church in these areas and will benefit our family of churches long into the future. We would also agree with the statements made against any kind of sinful speech. I hope that you find this report as helpful as we do and please let us know if you have any questions.
Ambassadors of Reconciliation recently finished the report that documents their findings after a nine-month study of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Their report, as well as a response from C.J. Mahaney and our Board of Directors, is below.
Why is Work So Hard?
Recently my daughter asked me a question: “Daddy, why is work hard?”
Quite surprisingly I was spared by the Lord from only using the moment to challenge her about complaining or urging her to further faithfulness in her chores. (Nothing wrong in doing that! But too often my parenting centers on correction and not instruction.) Instead, a more inspiring answer came to mind. I explained to her that work is hard, because we are not in heaven yet. Now, if only I can learn the truth of that answer in my own life!
Too often I think of “heaven” as the absence of work and the presence of something I like to think of as rest – but what is probably better described as laziness. Now, I fully believe that God gives us regular moments of the absence of work. A good portion of every 24 hours is spent doing nothing but acknowledging our physical limitations in sleep.
However, I also know that God made me for work, for service, for labor. In heaven, I will have work to do. But the curse of work, given because of sin, will no longer be present. The ground will no longer bring forth thorns. I will no longer spend long hours with little apparent usefulness. And in work I will experience the sustaining grace and power of the Lord Jesus and the complete absence of temptations or sinful cravings, so that my work will be a joy.
I don’t doubt that I will still exert effort, and I will still feel my ongoing need for God to sustain my body, glorified though it will be. But work will no longer be “hard” in the fallen-world, sinful-flesh-resistant, thorn-producing way that it is hard now. Instead we will delight that his yoke is easy and his burden is light, and we will find rest for our souls.
The Day Death Died
Until Jesus rose from the dead, death was the most powerful force in the universe. But now, because the tomb is vacant death cannot and will not have the final say.
Until Jesus burst the bonds of death, death always won.
Think about it. Who escaped death? No one. Wealth could never ward off the grim reaper. Fame could not erase mortality. Altruism was no ticket to immortality.
Death had muffled every song. Death had stilled every pulse. Death had stifled every happy ending. Death had wilted every hope. Death snuffed out every light. Up and to this point, Death seemed like the most powerful force in the universe.
Then Death met Jesus.
Death had never met anyone like Jesus. In the Spirit of the great allegorical Pilgrim’s Progress, I submit to you this entirely imaginary conversation between Jesus and Death.
Jesus: Okay, I am leaving now.
Death: Ha. I don’t think so. No one I swallow up ever leaves. You are not going anywhere.
Jesus: You may have swallowed me whole, but you cannot keep me here. I am leaving.
Death: Who do you think you are? Do you realize who I am? No one ever escapes my grip. Anonymous peasants, powerful potentates, famous generals, and wealthy merchants — all have entered my gates never to escape. Whoever I snatch, I hold. All that have felt my cold grip are mine forever. I am Death. You are not leaving.
Jesus: I am Jesus Son of God, the great I AM, the Alpha & Omega, the cornerstone, the Holy One, the prince of peace, the bright morning star, and most importantly to you — the first born of the dead. I am the light of the life of men and you cannot hold me. I am leaving. Ha!
Death: Satan has given me the power over all mankind — no one has ever left. You are not going anywhere.
Jesus: I have crushed Satan’s head. I am leaving.
Death: Stop talking nonsense. You were a good man, I’ll give you that, but your good deeds are come to an end. You cannot do anyone any good now. It is over. You can’t leave.
Jesus: Oh, it is just beginning. I am leaving. I tasted the unfiltered wrath of the unlimited God for unlovely sinners. I chose to lay my life down for them — now I take it up again — for them. Goodbye.
Death: You are not going anywhere. There is no power in all the universe that can pull you from the grave.
Jesus: There is no power in all the universe that can keep me in this grave.
Death: You cannot leave! You lost when you died.
Jesus: I won when I died. You may not have the final say anymore. Today, everything changes.
Death: You cannot leave!
Jesus: Watch me — and by the way — I am not the last who will escape your clutches. I am just first. Countless others will follow.
Death: What?! NOOOOOOO!!
Jesus: (Over the Death’s wails, Jesus began to sing as he leaves) — “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
The day Jesus rose, death died.
Upcoming Sermons
A member of our church sent me a GREAT suggestion this week. He wondered if we could publish the upcoming sermon texts in Exodus. So simple, yet so helpful. Here they are:
4/22/12 — Exodus 7:8–8:19
4/29/12 — Exodus 8:20–10:29
5/06/12 — Exodus 11:1–12:32
5/13/12 — Mother’s Day (break from Exodus)
5/20/12 — Exodus 12:33–13:16
5/27/12 — Exodus 13:17–14:31
6/03/12 — Exodus 15:1–21
6/10/12 — Exodus 15:22–16:36
As always if you ever have any questions about a sermon you are free to email me through our contact form here. See you Sunday.
Did Jesus Really Rise?
You know the story. Jesus died a grizzly death on a cross. He is placed in a tomb sealed by a massive boulder. Then, early on Sunday morning, disciples found the stone rolled away and Jesus nowhere to be found. The Bible says that Jesus rose from the dead in all four gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Historically, Christians marked this event, calling it Easter and have celebrated it annually for centuries.
Christians believe that Jesus died on a cross like a thief, was entombed, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. The whole of Christianity is tied up with the events of Easter weekend. If Jesus did not die and rise again, there is nothing for anyone to trust in. When Christians talk of “trusting in Jesus” they mean believing that Jesus died as a substitute for their sins while they receive the righteousness for his perfect life. All of this hinges on Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus was not raised, there is no eternal life and Christianity is entirely bankrupt. Paul makes this point in 1 Corinthians 15:14-17 when he points out,
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
In other words, if Christ is not alive, then there is no way for faith of any kind to be alive. Did Jesus really rise? Over the centuries many voices have tried to cast a pall of doubt on the resurrection by bringing up a number of objections. What about it, does the resurrection stand up to the scrutiny of hard questions? Here are some of the more popular theories:
1. Twin theory
Some have said that someone who looked like Jesus could have died and then later the twin showed up and pretended to have risen from the dead. This theory does not pass the common sense test. There was never any report of Jesus being a twin. Furthermore, all the authorities had to do to prove that Jesus was still dead would be to produce his corpse and parade it in the streets. This never happened.
2. Swoon theory
Other voices contend that Jesus did not really die, but swooned, only appearing to die. They assert that Jesus went unconscious in the agony on the cross, but in the coolness of the tomb, he was revived. There are many problems with this theory. First, the centurions who crucified Jesus were experts at their craft. Their stock and trade was death. They were assigned to crucifixion duty and their victims always died. There are no reports of any exceptions. To say that a victim only appeared to die, and deceive the death experts does not square with the facts. These Roman guards oversaw hundreds of crucifixions a month and knew when someone was dead. It is extremely unlikely that these merchants of death would assume that Jesus died when he was only passed out.
Furthermore, using the accounts of the crucifixion medical professionals have weighed in as well. Nearly universally, scientifically trained medical professionals — with no connection to Christianity — agree that Jesus really died. For example a publication as prestigious as The Journal of the American Medical Society reports the following:
Interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.
Additionally if Jesus did not die it is preposterous to think that an injured, beaten Jesus would have inspired such fervent, life-sacrificing devotion by his disciples. Dr. Alexander Metherell Ph.D. said,
…after suffering that horrible abuse, with all the catastrophic blood loss and trauma, he would have looked so pitiful that his disciples would never have hailed him as a victorious conqueror of death; they would have felt sorry for him and tried to nurse him back to health.
We can see, then, that the swoon theory has no basis in reality.
3. Body stolen
Still another group asserts that the disciples stole the body of Jesus and faked the whole resurrection. The challenge with this theory is the gospels make clear that Jesus’ followers had no expectation of the resurrection in the first place. When Jesus died, they responded with utter despondency and complete dejection. One of his disciples even refused to believe that Jesus rose from the dead even after his companions said they saw him. More than that, these men were scared to death of the Roman authorities and they would never try and overpower the guards at the tomb, roll away the two-ton stone, and pretend that Jesus lived.
If this story were true, the question would not be what happened to Jesus’ body, but what happened to the brains of the disciples? This story cracks under cross-examination as well.
4. Hallucination
Others allege that those who claimed to have seen Jesus merely hallucinated. The problem with that view is that people do not hallucinate in groups, all seeing the same thing. Jesus appeared to so many different people (to 500 at one time once) in so many different places that to believe everyone hallucinated pushes logic past the breaking point.
What is the alternative?
The only alternative is that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. Just producing the body could have quashed any one of these theories, but no one could. There was no body to produce, because Jesus rose from the realm of the dead. History agrees. Eyewitness accounts agree. Do you?
Why Mark Ends at 16:8
During the message on Sunday morning, we considered Jesus’ death and resurrection from Mark 15:42-16:8 (you can listen to the message here). In nearly all of our Bibles, the book continues on to verse 20. I said on Sunday that verses 9-20 ought not be considered as part of Mark’s gospel. Here are a few reasons why:
- The best and oldest manuscripts do not include 9-20 — manuscripts are simply copies of parts or the entire Bible. When the King James Bible (KJV) was translated in 1611 the copies of scripture that had been discovered were fewer in number.
- In the 400 years since the KJV release more reliable, older manuscripts have been discovered and verses 9-20 are not included.
- Additionally, the writing style is clearly different. Someone other than Mark wrote 16:9-20. Most modern English translations follow the KJV tradition by including these verses, though evidence and nearly 100% of biblical scholars agree that 9-20 is not authentic.
So, what happened? Some well-meaning scribe could have written this ending to make the end of Mark seem smoother. They may have thought it odd that the last note was one of fear. Try this: read Mark through for yourself and notice how abrupt he is in his writing style. He starts the gospel abruptly — no genealogy (like Matthew), no prologue (like John), no extended purpose statement (like Luke) — just, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…” It would only make sense that Mark would end the gospel curtly.
The ending is powerful because Mark is showing us that the story is not over and we can now be a part of the story with a risen savior. The question remains: will you be afraid or will you tell others?
Psalm 23 & Me
I was meditating on Psalm 23 the other day and remembered something that I’m sure I’ve heard before, but somehow it seemed new…again. (Isn’t that the great adventure of reading Scripture?!)
Halfway through the Psalm, David starts speaking to the Lord directly. In the first three verses God is referenced as “He” — the One who is our shepherd, who leads and restores us. In verse four there is a change. “Even though I walk through the valley…you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me…”
I pray this is true of my relationship with the Lord as well. I pray that meditating on God’s character leads me to speak directly to him in prayer — that truth always leads to relationship. I pray that I would not only know about the personal care of the Lord, but that I would draw near to the Lord Himself. I pray I would think much about the Lord, that my thoughts would be shaped by truth, and that truth would lead to prayer, prayer to gratefulness, gratefulness to affection, and affection right back to truth.
Boasting in Weakness, Part 4
The pattern of God’s intention to magnify his strength in the context of human need is pervasive in the Scriptures — as pervasive there as it is counter-intuitive to our pride. Yet if we are to conform our thinking to God’s thinking — to “think God’s thoughts after him” — we would do well to meditate our way through this pattern in the Scriptures and begin shaping our thinking and our praying in the Scriptural direction. God has chosen to magnify himself not in spite of, not in addition to, but through the context of human weakness. Here are a few Biblical examples that come to mind:
- God chose a childless man and wife, Abram and Sarai, to be the father and mother of his people. And after choosing them, he waited until they were well past child-bearing age to grant the miracle of a son. It’s also worth noting that the proximity of nephew Lot in the Genesis story reveals that God could easily have chosen another line in Abraham’s family tree that was not barren. Why the contrast? In their extreme weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose the younger brother Jacob, rather than the older brother Esau, to be the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Being the younger brother would have been a “weaker” position in that culture. It’s also worth noting the contrast; Esau is the strong man of the field, while Jacob is the “weaker” man, living among the tents. Jacob is also in danger from Esau and then from Laban and then from Esau again — yet Jacob fathers the twelve tribes that become the nation of Israel. In Jacob’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose to raise Joseph to an extreme position of worldly power in order to save his family from famine only after he had been thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison. Why didn’t God just launch Joseph directly into a position of power, right after his dreams foretold his future prominence? In Joseph’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose to commission Moses as the deliverer of his people after Moses failed in his own attempt to deliver God’s people, after he lived in exile for 40 years as a forgotten shepherd, after Moses was so aware of his weakness that it led him to the opposite sinful extreme of resisting God’s call. Why didn’t God commission Moses right after he killed the Egyptian, in the midst of his youthful ambition and power? In Moses’ weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose Gideon — by self-admission the weakest man of a small family — to defeat the mighty Midianite army. And he only allowed Gideon to fight after he had reduced his army from 32,000 to 300. Why didn’t God choose a “stronger” man from a “stronger” family with a larger army? In Gideon’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose to give Samson his greatest triumph after he cried out in desperation, chained to two pillars in the Philistine temple. Why not grant Samson his greatest triumph at the height of his “strength.” In Samson’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose Hannah — the barren wife of a man with children from another wife — to be the mother of Samuel the great prophet. Why not choose the wife who was not barren? Why not allow Hannah to conceive prior to her famous desperate prayer at the temple? In Hannah’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose David to be a giant-killer, and then king, and ultimately a great foreshadowing of Jesus Christ — even though David was the youngest son, left in the fields tending sheep, when Samuel the prophet arrived. Why not choose the oldest son, or any of the older sons who had joined the army with Saul, to defeat Goliath, to ultimately become king? They still would have been from the tribe of Judah and from Bethlehem. In David’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose Hezekiah’s desperate prayer, not his kingly prestige or power, to be the precursor to the Divine destruction of the Assyrian army. Why not allow the Israelite army to defeat their enemy on the field of battle? In Hezekiah’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose Peter as the initial leader of the church, recommissioning him after he had denied the Lord. The one who would not confess Christ to three single questions would eventually proclaim him boldly to a crowd of thousands. Why not choose a disciple who had not failed so miserably? In Peter’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- God chose Paul, the great persecutor, to become the great apostle to the Gentiles, after he had been blinded by his vision of the risen Savior. Why not allow Paul to know Jesus before his death? Better yet, why not plan for Paul to be one of the original disciples? In Paul’s weakness, God showed himself strong.
- And the greatest example of all — the great substance to which all the Old Testament patterns point and that all the New Testament examples reflect: God chose Jesus Christ, fully God, to provide salvation through the weakness of an agonizing death on a cross. Indeed, as Paul says, the cross is foolish to this world, since, to paraphrase a thought from D.A. Carson, no human wisdom could imagine a crucified messiah, triumphing in power precisely because he dies in weakness. As the hymn declares: “Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut his glories in; when Christ the mighty maker died; for man the creature’s sin.”
What can we take away from this Biblical pattern, especially seeing its pinnacle in Jesus Christ, the mighty maker, surrendering his life willingly to death on the cross?
- Not that God delights in human suffering — since this pattern included the suffering of his own beloved Son.
- Not that God delights in human laziness — since self-pity that doubts God is not better than self-trust that forgets God.
- Not that we should “make up” weakness and confess them to God in hopes that he will bless us — since the reality is that all that we have and are already comes from him and we have nothing that he does not provide.
Rather, we should be amazed at the mercy of God in showering provision on us, even in areas that we assume are self-sustained. His strength is seen in my weakness, whether I see it or not. We should realize that human pride and self-confidence are far more evil than we normally think and that God’s glory is more paramount than we can possibly imagine. If I’m still breathing, His strength is seen in my weakness, even when I deny my need for him. We should repent of any areas of our life where we live in self-confidence — for my part, I find idols of sleep, entertainment, food, and ease frequent substitutes for dependence on God. His strength is seen in forgiving me, powerful grace in the face of my overwhelming sin. We should search out new ways to declare our dependence on the Lord, so that we can boast in his strength with fresh vigor. We should anticipate moments where we feel our weakness as a mercy from the Lord, opening our dim eyes, and inviting us to cry out for his strength. And, most importantly, we should worship the Lord of glory, who glorified himself by creating this pattern of providing his strength in the context of human weakness. He surrendered himself in weakness to death and showed the glory of God’s salvation. He delights to sustain any who call out to him. He gladly offers his merciful power and almighty grace even to those who have spent a lifetime trusting in themselves.
Lord, make me, like Paul, glad to boast in my weakness, that your power may rest upon me. Forgive the recent pattern I see in my life of trusting in my own strength and the life-long pattern of denying my need for you. Thank you for making your mercy new every morning and for being always a present help in my need. Help me to long for your strength more than the ‘sense’ of my own power. Help me to glorify you by boasting in your strength. Receive all the glory, Lord. All that I have accomplished you have done for me. Your name alone do I honor.
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
(This 4-part series originally posted on my blog here. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.)
Boasting in Weakness, Part 3
Every moment and every area of our life is an opportunity to boast in our weakness — to cry out for God’s strength. After all, the Lord sustains every heartbeat and every breath. We have nothing that he doesn’t provide. Sadly, most of our moments are spent assuming our self-sufficiency. However, in his kindness he often peels back our typical blindness and reveals our weakness in particular areas — and when he does we do well to respond with renewed boasting in his strength. We were made to boast in the Lord’s strength alone in all areas of our life. But when we see and feel our weakness we should seize this renewed sense of need as a particular gift to motivate our boasting in Him.
What weak creatures we are! We even need help to see our need for help. We need grace to see our need for grace. Thankfully, God is gracious enough to help us enjoy his strength — indeed He is the God of grace upon grace.
I was made to live in dependance on him — this is the greatest glory of my life — that all of my life is dependent on him. Knowing this dependent identity leads me to a few challenging implications:
1. I should be far more uncomfortable than I normally am when I feel “strong.” This perception of strength – -of sufficiency in myself — is an indication of blindness to the sustaining grace of God. The “sense” of self-strength should concern me, and lead me to desperate prayers for God’s sustaining grace and protection against the destructive pride of self-sufficiency.
2. I should be far less disappointed when I “sense” weaknesses or insufficiency in myself. Rather than thinking of this “sense of weakness” exclusively as a burden, or trial, or “unusual experience” in contrast with the “norm” of self-sufficiency, I should see this “sense” as an invitation from God to boast in his strength with greater urgency and passion.
3. I need to be more surprised that God sustains me even when I don’t ask , than I am when he reveals my need for him by exposing my weakness.
4. I need to be more worried about the trap of trusting myself than the trials that will cause me to trust in the Lord. Trusting myself can lead to spiritual destruction. Trusting God will bring a peace that exceeds understanding — even if my earthly circumstances are painful.
5. I need to ask myself where I have neglected risk for God’s glory because of a fear of feeling insufficient in myself.
6. I need to ask whether I have greater confidence in praying for God to help others than I do in helping them through my counsel.
7. I need to consider how much of my counsel to others centers around pointing them to God in prayer and the Word, rather than in following my advice in practical matters.
8. I need to meditate on how much of the Scripture centers around God’s eagerness to sustain and bless those who entrust themselves to him.
9. I need to meditate on the eternal choice of God — on how God chose me because of his own love and grace and without any reason to be found in me. My whole history has been a trophy case of God’s strength working in the context of my need.
10. I need to meditate on the gospel — on how I have already crucified all confidence in myself to the cross of Christ and risen with him so that all I have is Christ.
Lord, make my boast in your strength. Be my glory and my one and only hope.
(This 4-part series originally posted on my blog here. Check back next week for Part 4.)
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