Life Together

One who returns to the Christian family fellowship after fighting the battle of the day brings with him the blessing of his aloneness, but he himself receives anew the blessing of the fellowship.  Blessed is he who is alone in the strength of the fellowship and blessed is he who keeps the fellowship in the strength of aloneness.  But the strength of aloneness and the strength of the fellowship is solely hte strength of the Word of God, which is addressed to the individual in the fellowship." (p. 89)

Title:  Life Together
Author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
ISBN:  978-0-06-060852-1

Working wholeheartedly

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. http://bible.us/Luke16.10.NASB

Where is wisdom found?

Job 28:20-28 NASB

"Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding? "Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living
And concealed from the birds of the sky. "Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
"God understands its way,
And He knows its place. "For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens. "When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure, When He set a limit for the rain
And a course for the thunderbolt, Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out. "And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’"

"I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow"

I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

I hoped that in some favoured hour
At once He'd answer my request,
And by His love's constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gours, and laid me low.

"Lord why is this?" I trembling cried,
"Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?"
" 'Tis in this way," the Lord replied,
"answer prayer for grace and faith.

"These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break they schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may's seek they all in me."

-John Newton's, "I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow"

The Idolatrous Heart

“People do not have needs. We have masters, lords, gods, be they oneself, other people, valued objects, Satan. The metaphor of an idolatrous heart and society capture the fact that human motivation bears an automatic relationship to God: Who, other than the true God, is my god?”

David Powlison, “Idols of the Heart and ‘Vanity Fair,’”The Journal of Biblical Counseling 13 (1995): 39. Italics his.

The Natural Mind

The natural mind is prone to reason when we ought to believe, to be at work when we ought to be quiet, or to go our own way when we ought to steadily walk in God's ways.

The Autobiography of George Muller

A Word of Warning to Believers

I must offer a word of warning to believers. Often the work of the Lord itself may tempt us away from communion with Him. A full schedule of preaching, counseling, and travel can erode the strength of the mightiest servant of the Lord.

The Autobiography of George Muller

How to Not Labor in Vain

The Lord always helps me when I preach, provided I have earnestly sought Him in private...Whenever I study a single part of divine truth, I always gain some light about it after praying and meditating over it. Extensive prayer is often difficult because of the weakness of the flesh, physical infirmitiees, and a full schedule. But no one should expect to see much good resulting from his labors if he does not spend time in prayer and meditation.

The Autobiography of George Muller

A Man's Rejection of God Is Bad News for His Neighbor

"If I want my own way rather than God’s, it is quite obvious that I shall want my own way rather than the other man’s. A man does not assert his independence of God to surrender it to a fellow man, if he can help it."

Roy Hession, The Calvary Road, 35 (As quoted by John Piper)

Relating the Severity/Eternality of Hell and the Pleasures of Heaven

"It is no solid objection against God aiming at an infinitely perfect union of the creature with himself, that the particular time will never come when it can be said, the union is now infinitely perfect.

God aims at satisfying justice in the eternal damnation of sinners; which will be satisfied by their damnation, considered no otherwise than with regard to its eternal duration. But yet there never will come that particular moment, when it can be said, that now justice is satisfied.

But if this does not satisfy our modern free-thinkers who do not like the talk about satisfying justice with an infinite punishment; 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 infinitely valuable, because eternal: and yet there never will came the moment, when it can be said, that now this infinitely valuable good has been actually bestowed."

p. 251 The End for Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards within the book of God's Passion For His Glory written by John Piper

Conforming to the Image of Christ

"Let the most perfect union with God be represented by something at an infinite height above us; and the eternally increasing union of the saints with God, by something that is ascending constantly towards that infinite height, moving upwards with a given velocity; and that is to continue thus to move to all eternity.

God, who views the whole of this eternally increasing height, views it as an infinite height. And if he has respect to it, and makes it his end, as in the while of it, he has respect to it as an infinite height, though the time will never come when it can be said it has already arrived at this infinite height."

p. 250 The End for Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards within the book of God's Passion For His Glory written by John Piper

The Creation's Relationship with The Glory of God metaphorically

"Thus we see that the great end of God's works, which is so variously expressed in Scripture, is indeed but ONE; and this one end is most properly and comprehensively called, THE GLORY OF GOD; by which name it is most commonly called in Scripture; and is fitly compared to an effulgence or emanation of light from a luminary.

Light is the external expression, exhibition and manifestation of the excellency of the luminary, of the sun for instance: It is the abundant, extensive emanation and communication of the fullness of the sun to innumerable beings that partake of it.

It is by this that the sun itself is seen, and his glory beheld, and all other things are discovered: it is by a participation of this communication from the sun, that surrounding objects receive all their luster, beauty and brightness. It is by this that all nature receives life, comfort and joy. Light is abundantly used in Scripture to represent and signify these three things: knowledge, holiness and happiness. "


p. 246 The End for Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards within the book of God's Passion For His Glory written by John Piper

Displaying the Glory of God as a Purpose of Creation

"The glory of God, in being the result and consequence of those works of providence that have been mentioned, is in fact the consequence of creation.

The good attained in the use of a thing, made for use, is the result of the making of that thing; as signifying the time of day, when actually attained by the use of a watch, is the consequence of making the watch. So it is apparent that the glory of God is actually the result and consequence of the creation of the world. And from what ahas already been observed it appears that it is what God seeks as good, valuable and excellent in itself"

p.210 The End for Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards within the book of God's Passion For His Glory written by John Piper

God's Sufficiency in Communicating His Glory

"From what has been said, it appears that the pleasure God hath in those things which have been mentioned is rather a pleasure in diffusing and communicating to, than in receiving from, the creature. Surely, it is no argument of indigence [i.e. deprivation, poverty] in God that he is inclined to communicate of his infinite fullness.

It is no argument of the emptiness or deficiency of a fountain that it is inclined to overflow."

p. 165 The End for Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards within the book of God's Passion For His Glory written by John Piper

Examining our Desire for God

"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
p.2- The Weight of Glory-C.S. Lewis

Cross Centered Living

"To Grow in your passion for what Jesus has done, increase your understanding of what he has done.
Never be content with your current grasp of the gospel. The gospel is life-permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than any diamond. We will never exhaust its depths."
p.142 Living the Cross Centered Life-C.J. Mahaney

Repenting without the Holy Spirit

A sinner can no more repent and believe without the Holy Spirit's aid than he can create a world.
- Charles Spurgeon

Faith in Christ Saves?

"It is not thy hold on Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not even thy faith in Christ, though that be the instrument; it is Christ's blood and merit."

Charles Spurgeon

From the Greater to the Lesser

Paul reasons like this: since God did not spare his own Son, then sure he must and will freely give us all things with him. Why is that?
Paul is reasoning in Romans 8:32 from the hard to the easy, or from the greater to the lesser. God desired two things: not to see his Son made a mockery by sinneres; and not to see his peole denied infinite future grace. Surely it is more likely that he will spare his Son than that he will spare us. But no. He did not spare his Son.
What a truth! Giving us all things is the easy thing! Think on that every time you fear being denied something that owuld be good for you. Creating the world and running it for the good of his people is a relatively easy thing for God to do compared to handing over his Son to ridicule and torture. But he did it. Ann now all future grace is not only sure; it is easy.

Future Grace, by John Piper

"Saved Even As They"

Peter speaking to the Jews in Acts 15:11

But we believe through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
we shall be saved even as they.

"[When] the apostle Peter got up to speak. [The Jews] expected him
to affirm them by saying, 'Why these Gentile dogs, as you call them, can be saved,
even as you.' Instead he adopted quite a different tone. He turned the tables and said to them,
'We believe that you may be saved, even as they.'"

C.H. Spurgeon's, Grace: God's Unmerited Favor

God's Ways with Men

God is the leading character in every biblical drama.

Getting the Message by Daniel M. Doriani
p. 74-75

Faith in Christ Without Doubt or Fear

(Mar 9:23) And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."

Many professed Christians are always doubting and fearing, and they forlornly think that this is the necessary state of believers. This is a mistake, for “all things are possible to him that believeth”; and it is possible for us to mount into a state in which a doubt or a fear shall be but as a bird of passage flitting across the soul, but never lingering there. When you read of the high and sweet communions enjoyed by favoured saints, you sigh and murmur in the chamber of your heart, “Alas! these are not for me.” O climber, if thou hast but faith, thou shalt yet stand upon the sunny pinnacle of the temple, for “all things are possible to him that believeth.” You hear of exploits which holy men have done for Jesus; what they have enjoyed of him; how much they have been like him; how they have been able to endure great persecutions for his sake; and you say, “Ah! as for me, I am but a worm; I can never attain to this.”

By Charles Spurgeon, E-Sword Devontional

God's Delight

God delights in the covenant, and so we are sure He will not turn back from it. It is the joy of His holy heart. He delights to do His people good. To pass over transgression, iniquity, and sin is the recreatino of Jehovah. Did you ever hear of God singing? It is extraordinary that the Divine One would solace Himself with song, yet a prophet has thus revealed the Lord to us:

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee withjoy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)



Grace: God's Unmerited Favor, by C.H. Spurgeon

Our thoughts of God are too human

Men imagine that the Most High is moved by sentiment, rather than actuated by principle. They suppose that his omnipotency is such an idle fiction that Satan is thwarting his designs on every side. They think that if he has formed any plan or purpose at all, then it must be like theirs, constantly subject to change. The openly declare that whatever power he possesses must be restricted, lest he invade the citadel of man's "free-will" and reduce him to a "machine." They lower the all-efficacious Atomenment, which has actually redeemed everyone for whom it was made, to a mere "remedy," which sin-sick souls may use if they feel disposed to; and the enervate the invincible work of the Holy Spirit to an "offer" of the Gospel which sinners may accept or reject as they please.
The "god" of the twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun.


A.W. Pink's, The Attributes of God

Too Great a Sacrifice?

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice that I can make for Him could ever be too great."


By C.T. Studd, Truth for Life Personal Notes/ December 2007

The Greatest Sorrow

“The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to Him, is not to believe that He loves you.”
- John Owen
Communion with God

The Tongue is as Dangerous as any Fire

"Today is Monday. That means that I mustn't interrupt anyone today and I must try not to finish anyone's sentence. I should explain. Some time ago, a friend gave me a series of drills in order to help me become a better communicator. Each day I have something to work on. For example:
Tuesday: Don't use more words than are necessary. Try to speak succinctly.
Wednesday: Avoid all lecturing and pontificating. Don't tell anyone what to do or how to do it.
Thursday: Don't be argumentative today, contradicting and correcting others.
Friday: Avoid being "over-definite" in how you state your opinion.
It's usually around lunchtime that I remember the drill and realize to my shame that I have once again failed miserably. Then I recall James's words, "The tongue is as dangerous as any fire..." and understand why Isaiah described himself (prophet of God that he was) as a man of unclean lips. How often do we find our areas of strength becoming the occasion of weakness! That's why I'm grateful for the nine members of our pastoral team to sit with me around the table this morning--we need each other to keep us in line."

By Alistair Begg, Truth for Life Personal Notes/ December 2008

Your Biggest Influence

“I find myself saying it all the time. When people hear it they laugh, but actually I’m being quite serious when I say it. Here it is. No one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. You’re in an unending conversation with yourself. You’re talking to yourself all the time, interpreting, organizing, and analyzing what’s going on inside you and around you.”

Paul Trip
From his blog:
http://paultrippministries.blogspot.com/

What God Sends

"Everything is necessary that [God] sends; nothing can be necessary that he witholds."
from John Newton, please email me if you know the source.

Only God's Wounds Can Speak

Jesus of the Scars

If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow;
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars we claim Thy grace.

If when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are; have no fear;
Show us Thy Scars; we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong, but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

Poem by Edward Shillito
http://wmson.wordpress.com/2006/05/19/
poets-corner-jesus-of-the-scars/

God's Love is Not...

"This is shocking. The love of God is not God's making much of us, but God's saving us from self-centeredness so that we can enjoy making much of him forever. And our love to others is not our making much of them, but helping them to find satisfaction in making much of God. True love aims at satisfying people in the glory of God. Any love that terminates on man is eventually destructive. It does not lead people to the only lasting joy, namely, God. Love must be God-centered, or it is not true love; it leaves people without their final hope of joy."

The Goal of God's Love May Not Be What You Think It Is, by John Piper
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/2000/1515_The_Goal_of_Gods_Love_May_Not_Be_What_You_Think_It_Is/

What is God's Purpose?

"...when we do ask about God's design, we are too prone to describe it with ourselves at the center of God's affections. We may say, for example, that His design is to redeem the world. Or to save sinners. Or to restore creation. Or the like.
But God's saving designs are penultimate, not ultimate. Redemption, salvation, and restoration are not God's ultimate goal these He preforms for the sake of something greater: namely, the enjoyment He has in glorifying Himself."

Desiring God by John Piper / Multnomah Books / 2003 / pg. 31

The Five Blind Men and the Elephant

"In the famous story of the blind men and the elephant, so often quoted in the interest of religious agnosticism, the real point of the story is constantly overlooked. The story is told from the point of view of the king and his courtiers, who are not blind but can see that the blind men are unable to grasp the full reality of the elephant and are only able to get hold of part of the truth. The story is constantly told in order to neutralize the affirmation of the great religions, to suggest that they learn humility and recognize that none of them can have more than one aspect of the truth. But, of course, the real point of the story is exactly the opposite. If the king were also blind, there would be no story. The story is told by the king, and it is the immensely arrogant claim of one who sees the full truth which all the world’s religions are only groping after."

The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin (Pages 9-10)
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989.

Explaining Away the Explanations

"You cannot go on `seeing through things' for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to `see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To `see through' all things is the same as not to see."

- The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis
Chapter 3; http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/lewis/abolition3.htm

Can I Diminish God's Glory?

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word "darkness" on the walls of his cell. But God wills our good, and our good is to love Him (with that responsive love proper to creatures) and to love Him we must know Him: and if we know Him, we shall in fact fall on our faces."

from C. S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain
Chapter 3, "Divine Goodness,"
New York: Macmillan Company, 1948, p. 41.
Harper, SanFrancisco, 2001.

Sin Canceled by Lawful Living?

"Sin is not canceled by lawful living, for no person is able to live up to the Law. The Law reveals guilt, fills the conscience with terror, and drives men to despair. Much less is sin taken away by man-invented endeavors. The fact is, the more a person seeks credit for himself by his own efforts, the deeper he goes into debt. Nothing can take away sin except the grace of God."

Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther
http://blueletterbible.org/Comm/martin_luther/Gal/Gal001.html

It Kills and Makes Alive

"Grace brings into the heart and entirely foreign element. That element does not improve and perpetuate. It kills and then makes alive. There is no continuity between the state of nature and the state of grace: the one is darkness, and the other is light; the one is death, and the other is life. Grace, when it comes to us, is like a firebrand dropped into the sea, where it would certainly be quenched were it not of such a miraculous quality that it baffles the waters and sets up its reign of fire and light even in the depths."

Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor by Charles Spurgeon

Whitaker House. 1996. Springdale , PA.

God Doesn't Spoil His Children

“If you are a child of God, note this truth, and accept it with joy: our heavenly Father never pampers His children. We may spoil our sons and daughters, but our Father never spoils His children. If He gives you great happiness and great success and makes you useful, He will every now and then give you a whipping behind the door.

You may think sometimes, “That man is very happy’ he has great blessing resting on his work.” Yes, this man is very happy to tell you that he does not have all sweets to drink, which would make him weak and sickly; but there are bitter tonics in his life, sharp blows of the rod, to keep him right. If we have to bless God more for any one thing than for everything else, it is to thank Him that we have not escaped the rod. Infirmity can be a choice blessing from God. I cannot measure the unutterable good that comes to us often in that way. Losses in business and crosses and bereavements and depressions of the spirit are all so many covenant mercies when we see them in the light of eternity.

The true-born child of God cannot escape the rod, and would not if he could. He gets afraid when does not sometimes feel it. He will not long have to be afraid about it, for it will come in due time.

I think that I hear somebody say, “I do not want that.” Rightly said, because you want worldly pleasure. Perhaps God will let you have it until you have spent all your substance on it, as the prodigal did. Then you will find that it is all weariness and sorrow, and you will want something better.

However, if you will say, “I will take the covenant of grace, rod and all’ for if I can be God’s child, I will very gladly take the rod as part of the mercies of the covenant,” come and you shall have it. Do seek the Lord this moment. Do not give sleep to your eyes nor allow your eyelids to close until you have found Him.

May God grant you all the mercies of the everlasting covenant, for Jesus’ sake! Amen.”

Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor by Charles Spurgeon

Whitaker House. 1996. Springdale , PA.

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