Gladly Foolish
May 15, 2008 | 1 Comment
From a letter written by Albert Einstein during the final year of his life:
The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. These subtilised interpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have almost nothing to do with the original text. For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything ‘chosen’ about them.
As I read this, I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s words to the Corinthians:
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
I have no doubt that Einstein was much smarter than I am. But I am glad to be a ‘fool’ to whom God has graciously been pleased to be reveal the riches of the wisdom of His Son.
For commentary on this quote and the letter from which it came, check out this article from Al Mohler.
What is the Gospel?
May 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I like this succinct summary from Tim Keller:
“Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God fully accomplishes salvation for us, rescuing us from the judgment for sin into fellowship with him, and then restores the creation in which we can enjoy our new life together with him forever.”
Read more here.
The Story We Love to Tell
May 13, 2008 | 1 Comment
Joe,
By ‘we’ in the title above, I am actually referring even to unbelievers. That’s what I am learning from our new subscription to Netflix that my mom bought us recently.
My mom is funny…she reminds me of the Babylonians when they captured Daniel and the rest of the Israelites. At the beginning of Daniel it tells how they tried to lure the Israelites away from their God by giving them the finest of foods and cultural treasures, and in doing so hoped to make them forget about Jehovah. Whenever I see my mom she’s wanting to put a ball game on, or get us a subscription to Netflix. Anything to keep me from thinking about Jesus!
But what she doesn’t realize is that in having me watch movies, she is unknowingly giving me precious pointers to the Gospel made by people who are probably atheists. The first movie we got from Netflix is called Akeelah the Bee, about a young girl from a rough background who has a gift for spelling words and enters the national spelling bee. At the end of the movie (yes, if you really want to see this or any of the movies I mention, don’t read further!), she performs an act of voluntary self-sacrifice to allow the antagonist of the movie to win. This arrogant, do-anything-to-win young man is so humbled by the grace she shows him that he is transformed and ends up extending the same grace to her.
Then the other night we watched a pixar movie called Cars. The movie is about the hottest race car in the land, who ends up in a once-glorious but now decaying town. He makes it his ambition to renew this town to its lost glory, and then becomes an even greater hero when he voluntarily sacrifices a sure victory in the big race, bringing healing and restoration to this town which appeared beyond hope.
A few months before that we watched a movie called Pay it Forward, in which a young boy begins a movement of love by losing his life in order to save the life of a friend (I guess that kid from Sixth Sense is always in movies that have unexpected endings!).
Yes, even in Hollywood, they love to tell the story of Christ crucified. They might not know it, but the great and true story of redemption is so marvelous that even a culture as god-neglecting as ours loves to see stories which are a dim reflection of its preciousness.
Larry
What Makes your Life Worth Living?
May 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
I was challenged by this question today in my daily reading. I’ve been reading through Acts, and today came to these words from Paul:
“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may…” (20:24)
And I just had to stop there. I cannot think of a more important thing in life than to determine how you would finish this sentence.
I know, and you probably know, what the right answer is. But what is your real, functional answer?
This is the question I was left pondering this morning, and praying that God would confirm in me the answer that Paul gave: the task of testifying to the gospel of the grace of God.
‘I do not account my life of any value, if only I may…’
To all our readers I would ask you to prayerfully consider: how would you finish this sentence?
Larry
The Scope of Redemption
May 10, 2008 | 6 Comments
Joe,
Sorry I have been a bit negligent here on the blog over the last few days. Thanks for keeping it going. Next week I do intend to respond to your post yesterday about vision, because this has been important for me lately. Also I will try to get up to date on book reviews, as I have finished several books which I’ve not yet posted on.
For now, I want to share a quote from one of those books, When the Kings Come Marching In, by Richard Mouw. I have to say this has been one of the most stirring books I’ve read in quite some time. It is an exposition of sorts on Isaiah 60, with a view toward understanding how Isaiah’s depiction of the heavenly City has a bearing on how we live today as we ’seek the city which is to come’ (Hebrews 13:14). I am pretty sure you would love it, if you haven’t read it yet.
It is a lengthy quote, but I trust you will give it a hearty Amen. And I hope it will whet the appetite of others to pick this book up. I will write a full review of it next week. The quote begins with Mouw referring to the way in which many Christians look at the Cross in a purely individualistic manner:
“I noted earlier the evangelical declaration that ‘It is well with my soul,’ and insisted that this is an important and profoundly biblical expression of Christian assurance. But it is not enough. It is a central confession, but it is a central confession; it is not a full expression of Christian assurance. The God who declares here and now that it is well with my soul is the same creating Lord who once looked at the whole world he had made and proclaimed, ‘This is good.’ This God wants once again to say that things are well with his entire creation — and he will someday do so when he announces, ‘Behold, I make all things new…’ ‘It is well with my soul’ is only a first step, an initial fruit of God’s redeeming activity. We must share in God’s restless yearning for the renewal of the cosmos…
“In their own ways evangelicals have operated with a restricted view of the redemptive ministry of Jesus. They have placed limits on the scope and power of the Cross. In boasting of a ‘full gospel’ they have often proclaimed a truncated Christianity. In speaking of a blood that cleanses from all unrighteousness, they have consistently restricted the meaning of ‘all’. They have given full reign to the blood of Christ within a limited area. They have seen the work of Christ as being a totally transforming power only within individual lives. They have not shown much interest in the work of the Lamb as it applies to the broad reaches of culture or the patterns of political life, nor as a power that heals the racism, ethnocentrism, sexism and injustice that have for so long poisoned human relationships. To such Christians we must insist that the Lamb is indeed the lamp of the City; just as we must insist to liberal Christians that the light which illuminates the City does indeed issue from the Lamb who shed his own blood as a ransom for sin.”
I think that ought to give us plenty to think of through the weekend!
Larry
Clarity of Vision
May 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Yesterday I wrote a post for my basketball blog that focused on the need for clarity of vision. It can be found here.
The following is a quote I used (it was cited in David Allen’s Getting Things Done):
“You’ve got to think about the big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” - Alvin Toffler
As I was writing the post, it struck me that not only do we need to think about the big things while doing the small things, but that we desperately need to be clear about what those big things are.
As it relates to our lives as Christians, we are desperate to understand what exactly God has accomplished, is accomplishing, and will accomplish perfectly and finally through Jesus Christ. That is, we need to know where the world is headed. For without a clear understanding of all that is soon to come, we are bound to be confused about what to invest in now. Or to be very out of balance.
Makes sense right? I look forward to some thoughts from you.
Seeking a better understanding of all that is to come,
Joe
Population Decline in Japan
May 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I also found this post by Al Mohler on a coming population crisis in Japan very intriguing. There are so many forces in the world that I am completely ignorant of. Virtually all of it outside my influence. But praise God that He knows what is going on as He is working all things according to the counsel of His own will, to the praise of His glory. Nothing surprises Him, large or small. What a joy and comfort it is to rest in that.
Marveling at His greatness and glory with you,
Joe
The Unlikeliness of Israel
May 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
You may have seen this already, but this post by John Piper is an interesting one.
Until later,
Joe
Connecting
May 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Thanks for those two posts yesterday. They were both very helpful.
That being said, I wanted to return for a moment to the T4G reading list you linked to the other day and offer my wholehearted agreement. I have voiced this concern to you before, but I believe that there is a great danger to being in full-time ministry. In particular, countless preachers lose the vital connection to their people when they get lost in a sort of ‘ministry world.’ Of course, this is not to say that issues of theology and academy and ministry are unimportant. By no means. I would never think that. In fact, I would encourage every full-time pastor to learn as much as he can. But oftentimes, pastors can become so lost in their study of certain things and their ministry to individuals (both good things) that they lose the vital connection to the people they minister to (a very bad thing).
In short, a preacher or pastor can preach and live and talk in such a way that people say to themselves (even if they aren’t fully aware of it), “He just doesn’t live where I live. It seems he lives in another world, so that he is unable to connect with mine.” The moment that thought enters into one’s mind, the pastor’s ability to minister to that person is incredibly hindered. For that person’s ears are no longer very open. They will look to the minister as if he were like a Coke machine…except filled not with Coke, but with theology. And they will relate to him as such.
I would offer a few recommendations for how a pastor can continually connect with his people, but I would like to hear what you have to say. What are you doing and going to do to keep yourself in the world of those you minister to? What are you going to do to make sure that you can connect with those you speak to, to make sure that when you speak, they listen, because they know that you are one of them?
Looking forward to your thoughts,
Joe
RSS for Dummies
May 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
For those who visit multiple blogs, I highly recommend you check out this tutorial from Abraham Piper on RSS feeds. Joe has mentioned this to me before, but I never followed through and got set up. Then this post gave me the kick in the butt I needed.
On one site, I can now keep track of all the blogs I visit, and I am automatically notified when any of my favorite blogs are updated, so I don’t have to keep going back to them only to find nothing has been updated. It has been a big time-saver.
So if, like me, you are afraid of something new and want to just stick with the traditional way of visiting different sites, I’d encourage you to read this post from Abraham. He’ll have you using RSS and loving it in a matter of minutes.
Depravity in a Parking Lot
May 6, 2008 | 2 Comments
Joe,
The other day I stopped at the Grocery Store to pick up something for Michelle, and as I parked I saw a silver Volkswagen Buggy (Silver, don’t worry Gino!) parked right in between two parking spaces, as if the person was concerned that someone might come close to scraping his precious vehicle. So he took up two spaces, ensuring that nobody could get close to his car. I trust you have seen this at some point in your life.
Few things irritate me more than this. And I thought to myself, this is a great picture of depravity. What screams, ‘It’s all about me’ more than taking up two parking spaces and being indifferent to someone else having to walk farther?
Then I thought of something that irritated me even more: a self-righteous Pharisee who regards himself as morally superior to another because he parks in between the lines. And of course, I was that Pharisee.
It’s amazing how God uses the sins of other people to expose the lingering sin in my own heart. But praise God, every revelation of my sin is another reminder of the glorious revelation of God’s saving mercy in Jesus, who died for self-absorbed Volkswagen owners and for self-righteous Pharisees who park where they’re supposed to.
Larry
Consistent Creation Cultivation
May 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
The visual lesson you offered yesterday was a great one. I am actually looking forward to doing such work when I return home. But of course, I am always doing work such as this (as all Christians are). I am doing it in my own soul when I weed out the desires of sin and walk in greater holiness. I am doing it in my own home when I discipline my children and teach them the happy way of following the Lord. I am doing it in my work when I show up on time and practice with diligence and encourage those around me. I am doing it with my God-given body when I exercise consistently and eat well. And yes, I am doing it in my own home and yard when I clean things up and make improvements for the good of everyone who enters my front door or passes by my home. On and on I could go, but you certainly get the picture.
But here is something that struck me while I looked at your pictures and examined my own life: my greatest difficulty is found in laboring to make sure that the front bushes never look like the top picture again!
You follow that right? Adam was commanded to be a caretaker of the garden. And a good caretaker is one that keeps up on his responsibilities. This doesn’t mean that he never has any big projects. After all, the Lord created the world in such a way that Adam was to reveal His glory by bringing out all the potential that was in the earth (something we surely see in the world today). That means big projects for sure. But it certainly means that Adam was to keep up on his God-given responsibilities. And this is where I see my sins exposed.
And I am honestly not trying to get in your face brother, because it is my own sins that I see exposed. For diligence is not my specialty. I am inclined to do the big project up front, and then to consider it as done (forever). Until all the sudden (though not really all of the sudden), sin and its effects have gotten carried away, so that I am due for a big project once again. Therefore, I can’t help but encourage you to do all you can to make sure those front bushes never look like the top picture again!
And I am saying this of course, not because I am your neighbor (though the bottom picture is a blessing to everyone in the neighborhood!), but because such external realities are indications of issues within. My lack of diligence in the yard is usually an indication of a deeper problem of laziness. I know what I ought to do, but fail to do it because I don’t like to work! And that is certainly a clear fruit of sin. Sin leads to disorder in my own life and in my own yard.
Some may think that I am stretching things a bit here, but I don’t think so. For I realize that when I sit here now a bit disorganized in my thoughts and responsibilities (and I am doing this right now), I am reaping the consequences of my own sin and disorder. It’s no one else’s fault. I can’t call it spiritual and sit back and trust the Lord in the midst of disorder. No. I need to get to work. And I need to work diligently, not only to get on track, but to stay on track. For that is always my most difficult task. After all, I am fighting against the effects of the fall.
Yet because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I have hope brother. We have hope. We can change. We can bring increased order in eager anticipation of that perfect order that is soon to come. No matter what sphere of life we may find ourselves in.
Thanks again for the convicting and inspiring pictures.
Laboring and longing for that final Day,
Joe
Is the Gospel an Intellectual Endeavor?
May 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment
In my opinion, Abraham Piper couldn’t be more right in this short assessment (his posts are all 22 words, so they’re all short!) of the booklist from the recent Together for the Gospel Conference.
I fear that the fruit of such a list is a pastor who has a hard time connecting with his people in his sermons. I know I have been guilty of this in the past, and I am trying to correct that in my reading and preaching. Thanks Abraham, for making me think (and using only 22 words to do so!).
Larry
Creation Regained
May 5, 2008 | 5 Comments
Joe,
I thought you’d appreciate this:
First before; then below that, after:
A Gospel Issue
May 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
I will respond to your earlier post tomorrow, but for today I just wanted to give a hearty Amen to Josh Harris for this analysis (see the 7-minute video clip) of the tension that often exists within churches between parents who homeschool their kids, as opposed to those who send their kids to private schools or public schools. Harris is right on in saying that this is not a schooling issue, it’s a Gospel issue.
Larry
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