Tuesday Morning Prayer
November 28, 2006 | Leave a Comment
“15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)
Father, daily our lives are filled with a busyness that makes seeking first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness a difficult reality. Yet You call us to watch carefully how we spend our time, and to make the best use of it, knowing that the days are evil. Every day thousands of people step into an eternity of everlasting joy or everlasting woe. The stakes are high in how we live today. And though our lives are often busy, we always make time for the things that are important to us. We always find the time to eat; how much more then ought to we to find the time to labor for the bread that never perishes. Help us, Lord, to see the unique opportunities that You set before us to shine Your light into a dark world.
Larry
Quick Reminder
November 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
There have been a couple of heavy thoughts thrown out there today, so I thought I would give people a chance to catch up by posting this short article. What has the world come to when a man is killed over a $20 bet on a college football game?
It was a reminder to me of the grace that has been shown to me, because apart from the grace of God, I know that I am no better than the murderer. There was a time when my joy was found in a victory by my favorite sports team, and I praise God that He has given me something infinitely better to live for than a game.
I am grateful also for you, brother, and for those like you, who work hard to magnify the worth of God by playing ball. You have always taken hoops seriously, but you have always (or maybe most of the time, you would say?) kept it in the proper perspective. Whether you eat or drink (or play ball), do all for the glory of God!
Working with you for the bread that endures to eternal life,
Larry
A Lesson from Daniel
November 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Thanks for that short reflection in your last post. That is a very important truth to learn! I know that it was monumental in transforming my prayer life. I trust it will be the same in many others. In that same vein, I have pasted Daniel’s prayer to the Lord found in Daniel 9. This was during the captivity in Babylon. Verse 2 make it clear that Daniel had been reading Jeremiah and found there the prediction that the captivity would only last for 70 years. So David begins with that word from the Lord and petitions accordingly. But the most important thing to note–that you pointed us to–is the ultimate argument that David makes for why God should hear his prayer. And I would stress that word ultimate because it isn’t until we really begin to feel the weight of that ultimate truth, that our prayers begin to carry some serious weight to them.
I would also add that Daniel’s prayer here in Daniel 9 is a model for us to follow in praying for revival. You have confession of personal and corporate and a petition that is grounded on the ultimate end that God might make known His glory. David and the biblical writers knew that this was the only ultimate thing that carried weight before the Lord of glory, so they petitioned accordingly. The Lord won’t bring revival in our day until we are captured by the same–and thus, pray accordingly. May the Lord grant us such grace!
I know it’s a long passage, but hey, it’s Scripture! What better thing do you have to do than to read Scripture?! Listen and learn and pray for such a heart.
3Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,[a] by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16″O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,[b] make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
For your name’s sake, O Lord, raise up men like Daniel, who intercede for Your people on their knees until you come and act! Make us such men for the sake of Your great name. Rejoice to bring Yourself great glory by using the weak and the foolish to accomplish the will of Your good pleasure. Bring us as Your church back from captivity. Deliver us from our slavery to the comforts of this life and set our mind’s eye on heaven for the sake of Your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen and Amen.
For His glory,
Joe
Lesson in Prayer from Spurgeon and King David
November 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Charles Spurgeon once preached a sermon on Job 23:3,4 where Job says of God, “O that I knew where I might find Him! That I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.” Spurgeon said,
“the ancient saints were given with Job, to ordering their cause before God. As a petitioner coming into court does not come there without thought to state his case on the spur of the moment, but enters into the audience chamber with his suit well prepared, having also learned how he ought to behave himself in the presence of the great one to whom he is appealing, so it is well to approach the seat of the King of Kings as much as possible with premeditation and preparation, knowing what we are about, where we are standing, and what it is which we desire to obtain.”
I believe Spurgeon has something compelling to teach us here, and I had a great illustration of it this morning in my devotions. Joe, you probably know where I am going with this one, but I think it would be beneficial for other readers of the site. Today I read Psalm 6; here are the first few verses:
“1O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 3My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long? 4Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?“
Sometimes we read the Bible so casually that we never think about what the Bible is actually saying. So here are some questions to reflect on:
1. What is David asking God for?
2. What is the ‘argument’ that David makes for why God should answer his prayer?
3. Are there other places in Scripture where the biblical writers pray with this same kind of ground, or argument?
4. How often are your personal prayers grounded in the same argument that David’s is in Psalm 6?
I hope this short reflection is profitable!
Larry
A Good Word for Husbands
November 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
John Piper wrote this poem for one of his sons on his wedding day. It is a great challenge to us who have been given the precious gift of a wife, to love her as Christ loves the Church. Check it out.
Larry
Monday Morning Prayer
November 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
“17Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
Satisfy us this day with Yourself, Lord, so that even if all of our earthly good was stripped away, You would be all that we need to rejoice. Help us to trust not in the comforts and pleasures of this world, but in the riches of Your glory so graciously revealed to us in the face of Jesus Christ. Incline our hearts to treasure Him above all else, so that this passage of Scripture might adequately reflect the condition of our souls.
Larry
‘Behold your God!’
November 26, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
Thanks for that quote from Don Whitney, it was a great reminder to me. The work of ministry is painful, and it is easy to get frustrated when I lose sight of why I am doing what I am doing. It is to help people become enthralled with the riches of the glory of Jesus Christ, and when I keep that focus, it is certainly easier to bear the pain.
As I prepared my message tonight on Matthew 5:8, I was brought back to this little description of the glories of our great God and Savior that I put together a couple of years ago:
He is the Sovereign King of the universe, the One who is infinite in majesty and power, wisdom and knowledge, mercy and love. He is unchanging in His being and in all of His infinite attributes. He is eternally existent, the being who never had a beginning and has no end. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:8). He is the One who to whom belongs the heavens and the heaven of heavens, the earth and all that is in it (Deuteronomy 10:14). The One who is so highly exalted that He humbles Himself to look down upon heaven and earth (Psalm 113:5-6). The One whose purposes can never be thwarted, for whom all the nations are like a drop in the bucket (Isaiah 40:15). The One who is in the heavens, doing whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3). The One who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness (Isaiah 40:23).
He is the One who is not served by human hands, because He gives to all people life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25). The One who has such dominion over every ounce of His creation that not even a bird falls to the ground apart from His ordaining it (Matthew 10:29). The One who reigns so supremely over all the affairs of men that He says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10). The One who kills and makes alive, who wounds and who heals, and none can deliver out of His hand (Deuteronomy 32:39). The One who makes poor and makes rich, and who brings low and exalts (1 Samuel 2:7). The One who “does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35).
He is the One who turns the hearts of kings wherever He pleases (Proverbs 21:1). The One who gives and takes away (Job 1:21). The One who forms light and creates darkness, who makes well-being and creates calamity (Isaiah 45:7). The One whose glory will one day fill the earth so magnificently that there will be no need for the sun or the moon, because the glory of God will be its light (Habakkuk 2:14, Revelation 22:5). The One from whom, through whom, and to whom are all things (Romans 11:36). The One whose wrath is so fierce that when He pours out the fury of His anger men will cry out for rocks to crush them because His vengeance is so brutal (Revelation 6:15-17). The One who is so tough that He tells the most religious people around that tax-collectors and prostitutes are entering into the Kingdom of heaven ahead of them (Matthew 21:31). The One who is so holy that even the mighty seraphim cannot look upon Him without covering their eyes (Isaiah 6:2).
He is the One who invites all who are thirsty to come to Him and drink from the river of His delights until our hearts rest content (John 7:37, Psalm 36:8). The One in whose presence is fullness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). The One who graciously invites us into the wealth of His infinite joy (Matthew 25:21). The One whose mercies never fail, but are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). The One who determines the number of stars in the sky, and calls every one of them by name (Psalm 147:4). The One whose knowledge is so perfect that He knows the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done (Isaiah 46:10). The One whose very word upholds the entire universe (Hebrews 1:3). The One who rejoices over His beloved children with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
He is the One whose power is so great that when He speaks, tsunamis in Asia are silenced (Luke 8:24). The One whose patience is so perfect that He causes the sun to rise upon the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). The One who is so tender and gentle that He will not break a bruised reed, nor will He quench a faintly burning wick (Isaiah 42:3). The One whose grace opens the eyes of spiritually dead rebels like you and me, and causes them to see the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of His Son (2 Corinthians 4:6). The One who emptied Himself of all this glory and became a helpless baby, born in a feeding trough, and went through life without a place to rest His head, all so that hell-deserving sinners like you and me could enjoy His glory forever (Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 9:58). The One who displays with perfect brilliance both His justice and His love in the very same act on the Cross (Romans 3:25, John 3:16).
As I contemplate the wonder of having eternal fellowship with this God, I can only think of the C.S. Lewis quote, “The man who has God and everything has no more than the man who has God alone.”
Grateful for the riches of God in Jesus,
Larry
Sabbath’s Day Quote and Read
November 26, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
I trust you are enjoying the Sabbath brother. First, I found this quote in Don Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines (the book I recommended yesterday). The chapter is one on service. Throughout the chapter, Whitney talks about the fact that service isn’t easy, that being faithful to God and His kingdom is going to be difficult and uncomfortable (a message we all need to hear of course!). Then he began to give biblical motivations for faithful service. He stated that the greatest motivation is love (for God and others). He said this,
“There are things I do in the service of God that I would not do for money, but I am willing to do them out of love for God and others. I read of a missionary in Africa who was asked if he really liked what he was doing. His response was shocking. ‘Do I like this work?’ he said. ‘No. My wife and I do not like dirt. We have reasonably refined sensibilities. We do not like crawling into vile huts through goat refuse….But is a man to do nothing for Christ he does not like? God pity him, if not. Liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. We have orders to ‘Go,’ and we go. Love constrains us.’”
That is a powerful quote isn’t it? And it comes from a man who is living it, not from me. May the Lord deliver from our American values so that might begin to lay ourselves down for His kingdom in a thousand uncomfortable ways! O for just a few who think like that man! We are desperate for more ‘tough’ saints. Pray for me brother. I need to repent for being such a wimp!
With that being said, maybe this sermon is an approriate Sabbath’s day read (or listen).
Seeking to toughen up for the sake of the kingdom,
Joe
Sunday Morning Prayer
November 26, 2006 | Leave a Comment
“3Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” (Psalm 24:3-6)
Father, as we gather to worship You today, help us to be fit dwelling places for Your glory. We know that it is only those with clean hands and pure hearts who may ascend to Your holy place, those who seek Your face with whole hearts. Yet we know that so often our hearts are covered with impurities. We give thanks for the New Covenant, sealed by the blood of Your Son, which has sprinkled our hearts clean and given us a new heart, so that when You look upon us You see the righteousness and purity of Your Son. Help us this day to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of You (2 Corinthians 7:1). May we not approach You this day with divided hearts, but with hearts set wholly on magnifying the worth of Jesus Christ. Grant us to come to You today seeking the hallowing of His name and renown above all things.
Larry
Saturday’s Second Recommendation
November 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
Thanks for your recommendation of Don Whitney’s book on the spiritual disciplines. I’ve never read anything by him but I did hear him speak at the Jonathan Edwards conference in Minneapolis back in 2003 and I was greatly challenged by his address. He spoke about Edwards’ use of the disciplines, and it was thoroughly convicting. Certainly a greater passion for the disciplines is an urgent need in the Church today.
As for my recommendation, I thought it would be good to recommend a book that sort of summarizes where God is challenging me lately: the gospel. We have talked about it before I know, but it is so easy to casually gloss over the heart and soul of the gospel by moving on to the “deeper things” of Christianity. But there is no deeper thing than Christ crucified. Thus Paul told the Corinthians, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2), and to the Galatians, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14)
CJ Mahaney’s Christ our Mediator is an outstanding book to help you boast only in the cross of our Lord Jesus. This entire book can be read in Mahaney’s newer book, Living the Cross-Centered Life, which combines Christ our Mediator with portions of his first book, The Cross-Centered Life. But I chose to recommend Christ our Mediator because it is a little shorter and therefore will be less overwhelming to people who aren’t big readers. This book is small enough to read in an hour or two, but it shares truth that will be foundational for a lifetime. It’s a book that I have resolved to read at least twice a year for as long as I can foresee, because it’s lessons are that important, and my heart and mind are so prone to forget it!
Hoping to boast only in Christ and Him crucified,
Larry
Our Future Hope
November 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
The short prayer from this morning got me thinking about this quote from Jonathan Edwards. I talk about it all the time, but I can’t remember if I’ve ever posted it here. If I have, I don’t think it will hurt to consider it again!
“God is the highest good of the reasonable creature; and the enjoyment of Him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops; God is the ocean.”
Seeking to be satisifed in the ocean of God’s glory,
Larry
Saturday Recommendation
November 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
I am hoping that I haven’t recommended this book on here before, but either way, it is worth reinforcing, b/c I am enjoying it so much! And the reason I am enjoying it is, of course, because I am being challenged by it a great deal. The book? Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Don Whitney.
You actually mentioned something to me a week or go or so about recommending this book. Well, here it is brother. As you might expect, there is nothing fancy about it. It is actually quite straightforward and simple. It comes in at about 250 pages, but it is not a difficult read. I believe this is good, because a book like this definitely needs to be accessible to people of all ages and ‘depths’ in spiritual maturity. In fact, I think that a book like this should be read by every Christian. Why? Simply because the application of the spiritual disciplines is necessary for every single Christian if he or she is ever to grow in true Christlikenes. Especially in a day and age like ours, where we think the Christian life should be some smooth sailing, Whitney’s Bible-based call to discipline ourselves for the purpose of Godliness is much needed.
We are a slothful people, I believe, given over to ease and comfort just like the rest of the world. I know that I need to read a book like this periodically to immerse myself in the biblical call to discipline and diligence in pursuit of God. How easily I begin to fall back into the good old (pathetic in the eyes of eternity) American life! Whitney’s book has stirred my soul (and body!) to a great discipline. Pray for me brother that I might apply it and live it accordingly!
With all that being said, I wholeheartedly recommend this work to everyone. I consider it a must read and believe it will be on the short list for Seek Him Ministries recommended reading. I’ll leave you with the description on the back of the book.
“Freedom. The Reward Of Discipline.
It’s not uncommon for an accomplished musician to be able to sit down in front of a new piece of music and play it through without a hitch. To make it seem easy, as if it required no effort. Yet, the “freedom” to play with such skills comes only after years of disciplined practice.
In the same way, the freedom to grow in godliness-to naturally express Christ’s character through your own personality-is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines.
Far from being legalistic, restrictive, or binding, as they are often perceived, the spiritual disciplines are actually the means to unparalleled spiritual liberty.
So if you’d like to embark on a lifelong quest for godliness, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will help you on your way. Drawn from a rich heritage left us by the early church fathers, the Puritan writers, and Jesus Christ Himself, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will guide you through a carefully selected array of disciplines including Scripture reading, prayer, worship, Scripture meditation, evangelism, serving, stewardship, Scripture application, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning.
By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grown in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them on a long-term basis, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to embrace life’s greatest pursuit-the pursuit of holiness-through a lifelong delight in the disciplines.”
Nothing is over-exaggerated here! Buy it. Read it. Apply it. Then give it to others! The rewards will be sweet for all.
Seeking to grow in diligence and discipline with you,
Joe
p.s. Don Whitney’s website can be found at www.spiritualdisciplines.org There are a wealth of resources there. In fact, there are some resources there that also need to be recommended! I would encourage anyone to take a few minutes (be discipline though!) to check out the site. I do think it is well worth the time.
Saturday Morning Prayer
November 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment
“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (Psalm 4:7)
Father, in Your presence is fullness of joy, and at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). So the joy that You fill us with is infinitely more sweet and durable than any other pleasure that can be found in this life. Purify our hearts this day, to pursue the pleasures at Your right hand instead of the fleeting pleasures of sin. Make our lives abound with joy in the fellowship of Your Son, so that those around us who treasure their grain and wine would see clearly that You are more beautiful and more satisfying than the finest of earthly enjoyments. Though we see You only dimly now, may the future hope of seeing You face to face bring present joy on this day, and may that joy bear witness that You are great and greatly to be praised.
Larry
Sharing in Your Joy
November 24, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
I think the title to your last post gave the announcement away (unless someone wasn’t reading too closely). Of course, you are good at sneaking in an announcement like that! We are sharing in your joy brother and praying for this little child, that the Lord might grant him/her life and breath and everything and might set him/her apart as a partaker and spreader of His joy! The Lord is good.
I was just telling Erin tonight how thankful I am for our little ones. Abigail was having a hard time going to sleep, because she was so excited about being at Papa and Mimi’s house and having her cousin Parker sleep in the same room. Well, Parker actually had to move, but I just felt so thankful for our energetic, easily-excited little Abby. It is a joy brother. It’s hard work as well, and it will rock your world, but always for the good as we well know.
In preparation of parenthood, I thought I would post this article by Edith Schaeffer (Dr. Francis Schaeffer’s wife) entitled “What is a Family?”. I haven’t read it yet, but plan to do so and am confident that it is well worth it. In fact, I think she has a book that goes by the same name. Anyhow, we love you guys and are definitely sharing in your joy!
Until tomorrow (Lord willing),
Joe
Little Laz (Lord Willing)
November 24, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
You are now free to fill in Blog Nation as to why you have to amend the second paragraph of the ‘What is this Blog?’ page.
Hope you guys are having a nice time with the Cochran’s!
Larry
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