More from Watson
January 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Here is a great one…
“The twelfth argument to contentment is, Whatever change of trouble a child of God meets with, it is all the hell he shall have.
Whatever eclipse may be upon his name or estate, I may say of it, as Athanasius of his banishment, it is a little cloud that will soon be blown over, and then his gulf is shot his hell is past. Death begins a wicked man’s hell, but it puts an end to a godly man’s hell.
Think with thyself, what if I endure this? It is but a temporary hell: indeed if all our hell be here, it is but an easy hell. What is the cup of affliction to the cup of damnation? Lazarus could not get a crumb; he was so diseased that the dogs took pity on him, and as if they had been his physicians, licked his sores: but this was an easy hell, the angels quickly fetched him out of it.
If all our hell be in this life, in the midst of this hell we may have the love of God, and then it is no more hell but paradise. If our hell be here, we may see to the bottom of it; it is but skindeep, it cannot touch the soul, and we may see to the end of it; it is a hell that is short-lived; after a wet night of affliction, comes the bright morning of the resurrection; if our lives are short, our trials cannot be long; as our riches take wings and fly, so do our sufferings; then let us be contented.”
What clear thinking! May we learn from it and make it our own.
Enjoying a Haircut
January 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I used to cut my own hair. Not always, mind you, but most of the time. Over the past year, my perspective has changed on that topic as I now prefer to have it cut by a professional. Here are a few reasons why:
1) They do a better job.
That one is probably obvious enough, but most people were usually surprised to hear that I cut my own hair, so that wasn’t the biggest factor.
2) I stopped enjoying cutting my own.
First, because it took me longer than it took a professional. And second, because my back and feet didn’t appreciate standing up so long. But again, that wasn’t the biggest factor.
3) Getting your haircut is an opportunity to cultivate community.
This is a bigger reason for why I go to the Barber Shop. For usually the Barber Shop is a hang out spot. Inevitably, you meet people and, at the very least, talk to your Barber for a half hour. I have come to value this much more than the money I spend to get my haircut by someone else.
4) I enjoy watching someone do work they are good at and that they enjoy.
In my opinion, watching a good Barber go to work is a great opportunity to be encouraged. For you get a firsthand look at someone who enjoys their job and who does it well. And if we are thinking rightly, we will recognize that watching someone work well and with joy encourages us to do the same. Seeing someone fulfill their God-given calling should encourage us to fulfill our own.
I suppose that is something we should keep in mind every time we head off to work: that if we want to bless others, we should first aim to do our work well and with great joy.
Economic Stimulus
January 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I am not sure if you have read anything by Thomas Sowell, but what I have read, I have liked. Here is a short article by him concerning the economic stimulus package. I found it insightful as usual.
Abortion as Unthinkable
January 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I am not sure if anyone saw this guest post from John Ensor on Tim Challies’ blog. If you have, I trust it is worth reading again. If you have not, please do yourself a favor and read it.
I wholeheartedly believe with him that Abortion is the major moral issue of our time. And I certainly long for the day in which Abortion, like Slavery, is unthinkable to the masses. In fact, just thinking about the topic makes me long for they day when the One who fights for the weak comes again to make all things new.
A Vision for Small Groups
January 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
The other day I preached on Acts 2:37-47, which shows the response to Peter’s Pentecost sermon. Especially verses 42-47 reveal the kind of loving community that was formed in response to the Gospel. I think it’s evident that the only way to live the kind of community life modeled in these verses is through the formation of small groups.
This is an area where I have been doing a lot of study in recent weeks, and I have been especially helped by a manual put out by Redeemer Presbyterian Church (which can be purchased here). In it, a beautiful vision for a healthy small group is cast:
1. We are to be a worshipping community. The message of the gospel is that Christ
died for us while we were yet sinners– when we were separated from him and wanted
nothing to do with him. We are not defined by what we did or have done to become
God’s people, but by what God has done in Christ to make us his . We are therefore,
a people who are grateful to God and who stand amazed at the wonders of his love.
As a result, we worship God with our praises and by celebrating the Lord’s supper.
2. We are to be an accepting community. The message of the gospel is that we have
been accepted at our worst. We are to extend a similar acceptance to one another
without demanding that they change before we before we offer it to them. We need
neither frown upon nor be shocked by other people’s sin and weaknesses. We are to
extend grace rather than judgment.
3. We are to be a holy community. Though we are to accept people as they are, we are
not to be content with leaving others where they are. The gospel tells us that we are
destined to become like Jesus and that God has already begun the process of
changing us from glory unto glory. We are to urge one another to throw off what is
not in keeping with what God has made us to be and to put on all that is in
accordance with the new reality of our status as sons and daughters of God.
4. We are to be a truth-telling community. “There is no kindness more cruel than the
kindness which consigns another person to their sin.” The gospel gives us the motivation
to truly care about people. We are to be marked by gentle but honest truth telling which will
lead others to want to change. We won’t be harsh because we know our own weaknesses and
flaws. But neither will we shrink back out of a fear that we will be rejected for we have the
only acceptance which ultimately matters. We can also hear the truth from others. Because we
are accepted in Christ, we are free to admit our flaws.
5. We are to be an upbuilding and encouraging community. The work of Christ in the
church is “building up”. “God is the one who can build you up” (Acts 20:32) and “In him
the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord”
(Eph. 2:21). The church grows not by joining physical stones but by joining and uniting
human lives filled with the Spirit of God. So, too, the main work of the living stones
themselves is building up: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up”
(I Thess. 5:11) and “Speaking the truth in love…the whole body, joined and held together
by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
(Eph. 4:15-16). Because of the acceptance which comes to us in the gospel, we do not have
to resort to tearing others down in order to feel good about ourselves. Petty rivalries and
competitiveness vanquish. Confident that we are loved by God, we are free to encourage
others and desire the best for them. We are enabled to work for the prosperity and success of others.
6. We are to be a sacrficially generous and giving community. Paul writes, “For you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9) We
are to follow suit: spending and being spent on behalf of others. The early Christians
were known for their radical generosity: “All the believers were together and had
everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as
he had need” (Acts 2:44,45) and “No one claimed that any of his possessions was his
own, but they shared everything they had…There were no needy persons among
them. From time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the
money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone
as he had need (Acts 4:32-35). We also ought to be known for being promiscuous
with our money and possessions.
7. We are to be a suffering community. Jesus loved us while we were yet enemies. He
didn’t retaliate against us. He suffered our slighting of him and the wrath of God on
the cross in order that we might be turned into his friends. We also are to avoid
retaliation. We are love to the point of suffering whether that suffering love is
directed toward those inside the community or outside the community. We are to
offer forgiveness to those who harm or persecute us.
JCF brothers and sisters: are we experiencing this kind of comunity life? If not, what is standing in our way?
In pursuit of genuine, Gospel-centered community,
Larry
Honoring Through Enjoyment
January 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
This past weekend, we took a trip to Izmir (ancient Smyrna) as a family for the All-Star Game. On the way home, we stopped at a toy store and picked up a few things. For Elijah: a sweet basketball hoop (a must in the Crispin household of course). And Abby: a Doll House.
These were two items we had been looking for since we knew we would return here next season. Anyhow, after setting them up for the kids when we returned home, I could not help but reflect upon the fact that my greatest joy was found not in being thanked for the gifts, but in watching my two children enjoy them with an unspoken thanksgiving.
Now, for their own good, we made sure they expressed their thanksgiving, but it was their unspoken joy in enjoying their gifts that brought me greatest joy. Naturally, these reflections made me think about how we can best honor the Lord with the gifts He bestows upon us. No doubt, we should give thanks, but this expression should be the inevitable overflow of a joy-filled, childlike heart, a heart that readily immerses itself in the enjoyment of a God-given gift.
I have a feeling that many of us might have difficulty in joyfully immersing ourselves in the good of God’s gifts, for fear that we might make an idol out of it (or them). And although that is a legitimate fear, we should not allow such a fear to dishonor God by keeping us from joyfully embracing the good things He gives us. It is not wise to run to such extremes.
In my view, it seems wiser to immerse ourselves in the good of the gift, with the understanding that we might enjoy it in such a way that we forget God. If we make such a mistake, let us run to the cross and then give thanks for the forgiveness that is already ours. That way, we honor Him by enjoying what He has given us and by trusting in the sacrifice He has provided for enjoyment displaced.
Seeking to enjoy God’s gifts as I ought,
Joe
Be True to Your Word, President Obama
January 21, 2009 | 3 Comments
Yesterday in his inauguration speech, Barack Obama said:
The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
This statement almost brought me to tears, because it grieves me that a man can say this while supporting the choice of a woman to deny her unborn child a chance to pursue their happiness.
If all are equal, free and deserve to pursue their full measure of happiness, then abortion must be stopped.
I will certainly be praying for Barack Obama, that through a massive change of heart, he would really seek justice and the pursuit of happiness for all.
Cruel Kindness
January 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
In my recent studies on small group ministry I have been reading a book called Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In it he writes:
“Nothing can be more cruel than the kindness that consigns another person to his sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the rebuke that calls a brother back from the path of sin.”
How grateful I have been for those brothers and sister of mine who have loved me enough to point out my sin. It is not easy to hear such words, but it is always fruitful.
Readers: do you ever struggle with this cruel form of kindness? What prevents us from displaying the kind of compassion Bonhoeffer commends?
Larry
The Importance of a Letter
January 15, 2009 | 2 Comments
Hey Joe,
I know you’re ripping me for not having posted much lately, and I will try to get back in the swing of things, slowly but surely.
Anyway, I couldn’t resist posting this; I’m preparing a message on Acts 2 this week, and I was just reading a commentary on the passage. It is describing the content of Peter’s gospel proclamation in the middle of the chapter.
Verses 33-35 deal with Jesus’ exaltation to the right hand of God. And at this point, the commentary says:
‘With another Old Testament quote, Peter lastly tells his hearers that Christ is at the right hand of God, where he is not ruling as Lord of all.’
I did a double-take; what?! Jesus is not ruling as Lord of all!!! This is heresy! Then I realized it was supposed to read, ‘Jesus is NOW ruling as Lord of all.’
Wow, one little letter sure makes a big difference!
Larry
Contentment in Affliction Part 2
January 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Three more reasons why we should be content in the midst of afflictions.
5) Afflictions do bring more of God’s immediate presence into the soul.
When we are most assaulted, we shall be most assisted; ‘I will be with him in trouble.’ (Ps. 91:15) It cannot be ill with that man with who God is, by his powerful presence in supporting, and his gracious presence in sweetening the present trial. God will be with us in trouble not only to behold us, but to uphold us, as he was with Daniel in the lion’s den, and the three children in the fiery furnace. What if we have more trouble than others, if we have more of God with us than others have?…If God be with us, the furnace shall be turned into a festival, the prison into a paradise, the earthquake into a joyful dance. O why should I be discontented, when I have more of God’s company!
6) These evils of afflictions are for good, as they bring with them certificates of God’s love, and are evidences of his special favor.
Affliction is the saint’s livery; it is a badge and cognizance of honor: that the God of glory should look upon a worm, and take so much notice of him, as to afflict him rather than lose him, is a high act of favor. Some men’s prosperity hath been their shame, when others afflictions have been their crown.
7) These afflictions work for our good because they work for us a far exceeding weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17)
That which works for my glory in heaven, works for my good. We do not read in Scripture that any man’s honor or riches do work for him a weight of glory, but afflictions do; and shall a man be discontented at that which works for his glory? The heavier the weight of affliction the heavier the weight of glory…
Contentment in Affliction
January 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment
In The Art of Divine Contentment, Watson gives numerous arguments for why the believer should always be content. One argument is, “the consideration that all God’s providences, how cross or bloody soever, shall do a believer good.”
He then moves explain seven reasons why afflictions work for the good of the believer in Christ.
1) Afflictions are disciplinary; they teach us. ‘God makes our adversity our university.’ He uses afflictions to teach us humility, repentance, and prayer. Why then should we be discontent in our afflictions?
2) Afflictions are probatory. They expose the genuineness (or lack thereof) of our faith.
3) Afflictions are expurgatory, “these evils work for our good, because they work out sin, and shall I be discontented at this? What if I have more trouble, if I have less sin?”
4) Afflictions do both exercise and increase our grace. “Everything is most in its excellency when it is most in its exercise.”
Afflictions do increase grace; as the wind serves to increase and blow up the flame, so doth the windy blasts of affliction augment and blow up our graces; grace spends not in the furnace, but it is like the widow’s oil in the cruise, which did increase by pouring out. The torch, when it is beaten burns brightest, so doth grace when it is exercised by sufferings. Sharp frosts nourish the good corn, so do sharp afflictions grace. Some plants grow better in the shade than in the sun, as the bay and the cypress; the shade of adversity is better for some than the sun-shine of prosperity. Naturalists observe that the colewort thrives better when it is watered with salt water than with fresh, so do some thrive better in the salt water of affliction; and shall we be discontented at that which makes us grow and fructify more?
Three more arguments remain. I will post them sometime later.
Cities and Suburbs
January 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Here is a good article from Al Mohler on the topic of cities and suburbs (among a few other things). Larry will enjoy it I am sure.
Relevant Irrelevance
January 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Some of you may already have seen this article from Carl Trueman, because Justin Taylor linked to it at his blog. It’s lengthy, but it’s a good and necessary read. Though I do believe that much conversation is necessary to come to a greater understanding of Christianity and culture, I agree with him that we must be careful to inform such talk with the truth as set forth in Scripture. It’s a fine line we must walk…as always.
Evan and Noah
January 5, 2009 | 2 Comments
A few weeks ago, Erin and I watched the movie Evan Almighty. We enjoyed it, even if there were a few lines in there that made me cringe. The moment they moved into the theological (which wasn’t much), I couldn’t help but get a bit nervous! And after hearing what they had to say, I was justified in my fear.
Though the film itself is a comedy, I did walk away with a fresh appreciation of Noah’s obedience. Throughout the film, various goofy things happen to the main character (Evan), as Morgan Freeman (who plays God, of course) graciously moves Evan in the way of obedience. He grows a beard, wears funny clothes, animals start following him, etc.
Now I am sure all this didn’t happen to Noah. He probably already sported a beard and, maybe, lived outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. Even so, the fact that he obeyed the Lord and built an ark in preparation for a worldwide flood is staggering. Or just plain crazy if you place yourself in his shoes or those of his neighbors.
Just imagine the ridicule and difficulty and questioning that went on. Even among his own family possibly. But day by day, Noah persevered in his obedience. Even preaching repentance amidst his activity. In the end, his fait was justified. For this, we should give thanks.
Watching that film also led me to ask myself a question: Am I prepared to respond in prompt obedience if the Lord gives clear direction to travel in a path that might seem quite odd to everyone else?
I’m not sure, but it is a question worth asking now and again don’t you think?
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