"...Glory begun below..."

"...God's love suffuses the Christian's consciousness [see Rom. 5:5] and leads him or her to say: 'the Son of God...loved me and gave himself for me' (Gal. 2:20).  In the light of this, Christians are 'filled with an expressible and glorious joy' which is the Spirit's fruit (1 Pet. 1:8; Gal. 5:22; cf. 1 Thess. 1:6; Rom. 14:17).

"The present experience of Christ by the Spirit is a foretaste of the future fullness.  Even in suffering and persecution Christians may enjoy this foretaste because the Spirit rests on them in his dual capacity as 'the Spirit of grace and glory' (cf. 1 Pet. 1:8; 4:13-14).  Truly, 'the men of grace have found glory begun below' (Isaac Watts)."

-- Sinclair Ferguson, "The Holy Spirit" (p. 180; IVP)

God delights in doing us good...

If we can once again look to the cross and grasp the height and depth of the love of God for us in Jesus, then how can we doubt his desire to give us everything necessary for life and godliness? If we feel the smile of the Father’s favor toward us in Christ, in spite of our history of sin and failure, then we will be encouraged to step out again in faith. We will still not know what the future holds, yet if we know that the one who holds the future cares for us, that first step upward on the long road back to obedience becomes possible again. 

— Iain DuguidEsther and Ruth(Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2005), 157-158
HT:  Of First Importance

"A prayer for those of us easily annoyed...."

Some very practical, life-related praying from Pastor Scott Smith.

When you pray...'Thou Art Coming to a King'

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay;
Therefore will not say thee nay.

Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much;
None can ever ask too much.

With my burden I begin:
Lord, remove this load of sin;
Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt;
Set my conscience free from guilt.

Lord, I come to Thee for rest,
Take possession of my breast;
There Thy blood bought right maintain,
And without a rival reign;
And without a rival reign.

As the image in the glass
Answers the beholder's face;
Thus unto my heart appear,
Print Thine own resemblance there;
Print Thine own resemblance there.

While I am a pilgrim here,
Let Thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey's end;
Lead me to my journey's end.

Show me what I have to do,
Every hour my strength renew:
Let me live a life of faith,
Let me die Thy people's death;
Let me die Thy people's death.

Scum of the Earth

“We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”  1 Corinthians 4:13

"Gospel people know where they belong — out with the garbage.  In this world of false glories, the cross and all who love it will never measure up to this week’s definition of cool.  The early church accepted that, and triumphed.  Now it’s our turn.  And one thing to gladden us is this.  Even below the bottom of the heap is the Lord Jesus Christ, the weakness of God and the foolishness of God, saving everyone low enough to discover him there."

-- Ray Ortlund, Jr.

What are you becoming?

"A person will worship something, have no doubt about that....  That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character.  Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming."


 --- Ralph Waldo Emerson, quoted in "Almost Christian" (the opening quotation of the chapter: 'Worshipping at the Church of Benign Whateverism')

The powers of the age to come in this present age

"In Christ, God has broken into our world of sin and death and is even now bringing the powers of the age to come into the present age by his Word and Spirit.  It is a profound disturbance of our lives and our world: disorienting, dividing, and delivering us from the supposed givens of what we thought were 'reality'." -- Michael Horton

The Mystery of the Kingdom

In its present phase, the kingdom is like its King before he was raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of the Father. It can only appear weak and foolish to the world, even though this kingdom is more extensive in its global reach and more intensive in its redemptive power than any earthly empire in history. 

— Michael HortonThe Christian Faith(Grand Rapids, Mi.: Zondervan, 2011), 524
HT: "Of First Importance"

What should a worship leader do?

“A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God’s Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the Gospel,
to cherish God’s presence,
and to live for God’s glory.”

Bob Kauflin,  “Worship Matters, p. 55

"The Perils and Promise of Social Media"

Some good insights from Collin Hansen.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

“Then the church shall be brought to the full enjoyment of her bridegroom, having all tears wiped away from her eyes, and there shall be no more distance or absence.  She shall then be brought to the entertainments of an eternal wedding feast, and to dwell forever with her bridegroom, yea, to dwell eternally in his embraces.  Then Christ will give her his loves, and she shall drink her fill, yea, she shall swim in the ocean of his love.”

Jonathan Edwards, “The Church’s Marriage to her Sons and to her God,” inWorks (Edinburgh, 1979), II:22.

HT: Ray Ortlund, Jr.

Using God as a means to another end?

"If you're a Christian mainly because you want to be changed, that's a problem. If you've given your life to God mostly because you are tired of yourself and want to be a different person -- well, that may suggest you're using God to fix you. That's not faith. That’s not love of God. That's love of self."

-- Mark Galli

Authentic, experiential Christianity

“Spiritual experience that does not arise from God’s word is not Christian experience. . . . Not all that passes for Christian experience is genuine. An authentic experience of the Spirit is an experience in response to the gospel. Through the Spirit the truth touches our hearts, and that truth moves our emotions and effects our wills.”


- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway Books, 2008), 31.

What lies beneath?

"Under every behavioral sin is the sin of idolatry, and under every act of idolatry is a disbelief in the gospel."

-- Tim Keller (paraphrasing Martin Luther), from his "Gospel in Life" teaching DVD (Zondervan)

Holiness begins in this world

"There is no idea more foolish or pernicious than this — that a person who is not sanctified, not made holy in this life, should afterwards be taken into the blessedness that consists in the enjoyment of God. Such a person cannot enjoy God, nor would God be a reward to them. Holiness is perfected in heaven, but it is always begun in this world." -- John Owen