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