Why Should We Try To Add One Stitch To a Finished Garment?
Easter is a day of acceptance, a day of completion, for on Easter God validated Christ’s atoning sacrifice by raising him from the dead. Yet despite the sufficiency of Christ’s work, we can so easily slip back into an old mindset in which we become convinced there is still something left for us to do. F.B. Meyer addresses this temptation in a wonderful bit of prose:
We must accept the finished work of Christ. He has ceased from the work of our redemption, because there was no more to do. Our sins and the sins of the world were put away. The power of the adversary was annulled. The gate of heaven was opened to all that believe. All was finished, and was very good.
Let us, then, cease from our works. Let us no longer feel as if we have to do aught, by our tears or prayers or works, to make ourselves acceptable to God. Why should we try to add one stitch to a finished garment, or append one stroke to the signed and sealed warrant of pardon placed within our hands? We need have no anxiety as to the completeness or sufficiency of a divinely finished thing.
Let us quiet our fears by considering that what satisfies Christ, our Savior and Head, may well satisfy us. Let us dare to stand without a qualm in God’s presence, by virtue of the glorious and completed sacrifice of Calvary. Let us silence every tremor of unrest by recalling the dying cry on the cross, and the witness of the empty grave.
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A La Carte (April 20)
May the Lord bless and keep you today.
There are a few more Kindle deals to browse through today.
Will My Son Go to Heaven? Infancy, Disability, and Sovereign Grace
That all those who die in infancy or with a severe cognitive disability go to heaven is by far the majority position among Christians, and in this article John Knight defends that position. (The next most common position is that the Bible simply doesn’t make it clear, so we should put our confidence in the goodness and wisdom of God.)
Things Are Real Even if We Don’t Share Them
“I’ve heard many jokes in the last few years that go something like, ‘If you didn’t post it on social media, did it really happen?’ These jokes are meant to be just that, jokes, but as I spend more time studying social media and our relationship with it, the more I realize that this is not a joke for many who truly experience a sense of derealization if they do not share experiences on social media and receive some kind of attention and feedback in the form of social media engagement.”
Social Media: A Downgrade of Culture
And, on a related note, “If high culture is like a gourmet meal, folk culture like a homecooked dinner, and pop culture is like junk food, what is social media?”
Vibrant Colors
“Decisions, decisions. In uncertain times too. These are grown up burdens common to life: the burying of loved ones, the management of a home, the raising of children–but they can quickly overwhelm us and mask themselves bigger than they really are.” What do we need to do or to consider if we are to thrive in such difficulties?
Farewell, Sweet Easter Lily
This is a sweet but sad one.
The Main Reason Your Ministry Matters
Here’s a word about why your ministry matters—whatever that ministry is.
Flashback: Rule #7: Fellowship with Godly People (8 Rules for Growing in Godliness)
An ember left alone will soon grow cold, but embers set close together will continue to glow, to burn brightly, and even to set others ablaze. Christians resemble embers, for we, too, must be set close together to thrive.God’s way is sometimes different from man’s way, but it is always the best way. —De Witt Talmage
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Much Will Be Required
You know the old adage, I’m sure: To whom much is given much will be required. Or, to express it in the words of Jesus, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” The point is clear: God holds us responsible for all that we have. Said otherwise, God holds us responsible for all that he bestows upon us.
We tend to think of this principle when we consider all the good gifts we receive. We are to be faithful stewards of our money, acknowledging that those who have an abundance are particularly responsible to give with liberal generosity. We are to be faithful parents to our children, acknowledging that they are God’s children before our own. We are to be faithful pastors, keeping watch over all the flock as those who will have to give an account to the true Shepherd. It’s a principle that acknowledges God’s sovereignty over all the blessings we receive and our responsibility to discharge our duty faithfully.
But while we tend to consider this principle when it comes to the good things we receive, who’s to say that it doesn’t apply every bit as much to the difficult things? After all, just as God’s providence directs the sun it also directs the rain, and just as it directs times of laughter it also directs times of weeping. If prosperity comes from his hand so does poverty and if health can be his plan for us so may be sickness. It is not merely the good that we are responsible for, but also the difficulties. For they, too, are within his will.
And so as we encounter times of pain and illness, times of sorrow and loss, times of poverty and want, we should not merely ask, “How can I endure this?” or “How can I get out from under this?”, though certainly those questions may be appropriate. We should also ask, “How can I steward this? What is my duty in this? What does God meant to accomplish through this?”
What if Joni Eareckson Tada had chosen to live a life of despondency rather than embracing her disability as God’s will and as her particular ministry to God’s people? What if Susannah Spurgeon had pined away in self-pity rather than allowing her bed to become her office, the means through which she would send books to so many needy pastors? What if Amy Carmichael had allowed the poor health that forced her to leave Japan to end her missionary career rather than accepting it instead as God’s will to divert her to her ordained mission? What if Job had given up after the loss of all he held dear, what if David had dropped out after the death of his son, what if Paul had quit the field after being beaten the first time, or even the second or third?
All of these, and so many more, accepted their suffering as stewardship. They accepted it as something precious and meaningful and understood that it had called them to new duty, new obedience, new ways to be useful to God. And we have all benefited. We have learned more from how they endured their times of suffering than their times of joy, from their times of lack than their times of abundance, from their times of illness than their times of health. For while we may have learned what they professed to believe in days of sunshine, we have learned what they really believe in days of rain. And it has been a blessing and inspiration to us all.
Each of these did what we are all called to do—to embrace our sorrows as somehow consistent with God’s will, and to turn that sorrow outward in love for others and service to God. To whom much is given—even much sorrow, much pain, much suffering—, much will be required, for these give us unique opportunities to serve God’s people and showcase his glory. -
A La Carte (October 12)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
Those who hunt for Kindle deals will find another small collection today.
(Yesterday on the blog: How Joni Eareckson Tada Blessed Me (Forty Years Ago))
The Joy of Knowledge
Have you ever noticed that greater knowledge is often the key that unlocks greater enjoyment? This article explains it well.
‘No’ to Trans, ‘Yes’ to Gay Marriage: Will This Be the New Normal?
Glen Scrivener: “More and more, public aspects of British society are expressing a skeptical no to key aspects of the trans movement. And yet, however much people might feel it to be a return to ‘common sense,’ this isn’t a return to a Christian vision. Not yet.”
Random Thoughts About Unity In The Church
Kyle offers some helpful thoughts here about unity in the church. “As a churchman, it breaks my heart to see brothers separated and divided over issues in many of our congregations, presbyteries, and denominations. I have friends from all over the Reformed World and many of us are dealing with issues. I want to give some general thoughts about our present needs.”
Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before Confronting a Brother or Sister in Christ
Somewhat related, here are ten questions to ask yourself before you confront another person about their sin.
“Did Jesus and the apostles preach the right doctrine from the wrong Old Testament texts?” (Video)
You’ve probably heard before that Jesus and the Apostles preached sound doctrine but did so from texts they misused. G.K. Beale responds to that idea in this short video.
You Are Not Invisible to God
Sylvia Schroeder writes poignantly here. “My daughter, in her power chair changes how I look at others. People once invisible to me, catch my eye now. I can see them with my heart.” She describes an example of that very thing.
Flashback: Positive Purity
Sexual purity is not ultimately about what to avoid, but what to pursue and what to enjoy. It’s about putting those old and ugly behaviors to death in order to free yourself to pursue the better ones. God wants to free you from sin so you can enjoy his gifts.If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him. —C.T. Studd