“Love is at the bottom of all. We may give a reason of other things, but we cannot give a reason of his love, God showed his wisdom, power, justice, and holiness in our redemption by Christ. If you ask, Why he made so much ado about a worthless creature, raised out of the dust of the ground at first, and had now disordered himself, and could be of no use to him? We have an answer at hand, Because he loved us. If you continue to ask, But why did he love us? We have no other answer but because he loved us; for beyond the first rise of things we cannot go. And the same reason is given by Moses, Deuteronomy 7:7-8: ‘The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you…’ That is, in short, he loved you because he loved you. All came from his free and undeserved mercy; higher we cannot go in seeking after the causes of what is done for our salvation.”
Thomas Manton - The Complete Works of Thomas Manton
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Our Ultimate Good
"Paul and James both say that we should rejoice in our trials because of their beneficial results. It is not the adversity considered in itself that is to be the ground of our joy. Rather, it is the expectation of the results, the development of our character that should cause us to rejoice in adversity. God does not ask us to rejoice because we have lost our job, or a loved one has been stricken with cancer, or a child has been born with an incurable birth defect. But He does tell us to rejoice because we believe He is in control of those circumstances and is at work through them for our ultimate good."
Jerry Bridges - Trusting God, 1988, p. 175.
Jerry Bridges - Trusting God, 1988, p. 175.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
If God Can Do That To Paul...Learning From Paul's Testimony by Randal Pelton
Friday, February 18, 2011
The Free Gift Of Salvation
"On the one hand, Christianity is the most exclusive religion imaginable. It insists that belief in Jesus Christ is absolutely necessary for salvation. Jesus is the only way. You must go to Him to get eternal life. On the other hand, Christianity is the most inclusive religion possible because it makes salvation accessible to everyone. Salvation is offered for all people through one Person. Whoever believes in Him will not perish. Anyone who receives or believes in Jesus will live forever with God. There are no racial, social, intellectual, or economic criteria that prevent anyone from joining God’s family. One of the problems with the other religions of the world is that they all smack of elitism… Only Christianity offers salvation to everyone as a free gift."
Philip Graham Ryken - Is Jesus the Only Way? p. 36-37.
Philip Graham Ryken - Is Jesus the Only Way? p. 36-37.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Connection Between False Teaching and Lawless Living by Randal Pelton
The Connection Between False Teaching and Lawless Living
Friday, February 11, 2011
True Happiness
"The true Christian is the only happy man, because he can “sit down quietly and think about his soul. . .” He can think calmly about things to come, and yet not be afraid.
Sickness is painful; death is solemn; the judgment day is an awful thing: but having Christ for him, he has nothing to fear. He can think calmly about the Holy God, whose eyes are on all his ways, and feel, “He is my Father, my reconciled Father in Christ Jesus. I am weak; I am unprofitable: yet in Christ He regards me as His dear child, and is well-pleased.” Oh, what a blessed privilege it is to be able to “think,” and not be afraid!"
R.C. Ryle
Sickness is painful; death is solemn; the judgment day is an awful thing: but having Christ for him, he has nothing to fear. He can think calmly about the Holy God, whose eyes are on all his ways, and feel, “He is my Father, my reconciled Father in Christ Jesus. I am weak; I am unprofitable: yet in Christ He regards me as His dear child, and is well-pleased.” Oh, what a blessed privilege it is to be able to “think,” and not be afraid!"
R.C. Ryle
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Christ's Love
"In math, if you divide an infinite number by any number, no matter how large, you still have an infinite quotient. So Jesus' love, being infinite, even though it is divided up for every person on earth, is still infinitely poured out on each one of us!"
C.H. Spurgeon
C.H. Spurgeon
Monday, February 07, 2011
The Fight For Faith and Freedom From Sin
From Do You Understand What You Are Reading: The phrase, “able to go to war,” occurs 15 times in Numbers, 14 of those times are found in chapter 1. The 15th reference occurs in chapter 26 in the context of another census. The repetition of this phrase serves to highlight the kind of battle God’s people will experience in order to take possession of God’s gift of the Promised Land. God will give it to them, but they must take it. It is the same for Christians attempting to grow in their ability to enjoy more of God’s LifePlus: God has made everything possible for spiritual victory, but we have to take it by faith/obedience in the power of the Spirit.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Contentment
"Christians can be and ought to be content with the simple necessities of life…First, when you have God near you and for you, you don’t need extra money or extra things to give you peace and security…God is always better than gold…Second, we can be content with the simplicity because the deepest, most satisfying delights God gives us through creation are free gifts from nature and from loving relationships with people. After your basic needs are met, accumulated money begins to diminish your capacity for these pleasures rather than increase them. Buying things contributes absolutely nothing to the heart’s capacity for joy…Third, we should be content with the simple necessities of life because we could invest the extra we make for what really counts (God’s kingdom)".
John Piper - Desiring God, 1996, P. 102-103
John Piper - Desiring God, 1996, P. 102-103
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Jesus Is The Truth, And The Way, And The Life
"The things He says are very different from what any other teacher has said. Others say, 'This is the truth about the Universe. This is the way you ought to go,' but He says, 'I am the Truth, and the Way, and the Life.'
He says, 'No man can reach absolute reality, except through Me. Try to retain your own life and you will be inevitably ruined. Give yourself away and you will be saved.'
He says, 'If you are ashamed of Me, if, when you hear this call, you turn the other way, I also will look the other way when I come again as God without disguise. If anything whatever is keeping you from God and from Me, whatever it is, throw it away. If it is your eye, pull it out. If it is your hand, cut it off. If you put yourself first you will be last. Come to Me everyone who is carrying a heavy load, I will set that right. Your sins, all of them, are wiped out, I can do that. I am Re-birth, I am life. Eat Me, drink Me, I am your Food. And finally, do not be afraid, I have overcome the whole universe."
C. S. Lewis - 'What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?' in God in the Dock (Eerdmans 1970), 160
(HT Dane Ortlund)
He says, 'No man can reach absolute reality, except through Me. Try to retain your own life and you will be inevitably ruined. Give yourself away and you will be saved.'
He says, 'If you are ashamed of Me, if, when you hear this call, you turn the other way, I also will look the other way when I come again as God without disguise. If anything whatever is keeping you from God and from Me, whatever it is, throw it away. If it is your eye, pull it out. If it is your hand, cut it off. If you put yourself first you will be last. Come to Me everyone who is carrying a heavy load, I will set that right. Your sins, all of them, are wiped out, I can do that. I am Re-birth, I am life. Eat Me, drink Me, I am your Food. And finally, do not be afraid, I have overcome the whole universe."
C. S. Lewis - 'What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?' in God in the Dock (Eerdmans 1970), 160
(HT Dane Ortlund)
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
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