Reviews on cross-centered books

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Memorizing Scripture

3 Reasons To Memorize Scripture

The path beyond...

God doesn't need human notions of the ideal "closure" to heal our wounds...

The ultimate "closure" happened at the cross with the ultimate wound, and He'll direct our paths from there if our trust is in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

And note the lesser known verses 7-8:

"Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones."

The icing on the cake...

Philippians 4:10-20 (ESV):

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Somehow the context surrounding the well-known verse 13 (last sentence of the first paragraph) strikes me.

Paul rejoices in the Philippians' concern, even though He's learned the secret to contentment. Seems possible to be blessed with community without viewing it as an essential ingredient for ultimate contentment. Look at the word following verse 13: yet. Paul's knowledge of the secret didn't rob him of his appreciation of their kindness in bearing his burden. And isn't it interesting that the great Paul, when leaving Macedonia, only had partnership ("in giving and receiving" [15]) with just the Philippians and no other church. Perhaps he felt isolated from the other churches; perhaps not. In any case, it's just neat how Paul highly regarded the community of believers at Philippi, even though He knew the secret to contentment. Why not enjoy the icing (community) on the cake (contentment in Christ)? Just hopefully God will cause us to not look to the icing alone to fill the stomach, and, when we do, cause a sweets sickness or longing for the real thing rather than for the filling that provides temporary pseudo-contentment...

"So what -- I'm saved."

Here's an excerpt from the post What To Do When Your Fig Tree Fails...

Though 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,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

In Habakkuk's day, if you were a farmer, your whole life depended on your crops and herds. He describes a worst-case scenario: all his crops fail, all his flocks and herds die. Yet he says, even if all this befalls him, "I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." In other words, so what -- I'm saved!

How this honors God! How it blesses him when we say "Lord, even if you don't bless me in any other way, you alone are enough for me. You have saved me to bring me to yourself. Your glory is all I need. I rejoice in you."

So when the mechanic tells you that you need a new transmission, say, “So what -- I'm saved.” Depending on how well you know him, you might want to consider saying it to yourself quietly. When the children break your favorite Ming Dynasty vase say, "I will rejoice in the Lord." When you come downstairs in the morning to discover that Sparky the Wonder Dog left a little surprise in the middle of the living room carpet, you know what to say. And should you be facing something really serious, I would still encourage you to say along with Habakkuk, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

May God teach me to continuously look to Him for the joy in Him and His salvation...May He cause me to genuinely, consciously, and consistently feel, when appropriate: "So what -- I'm saved." May He teach me that that is enough. Enough. Yes sanctification and fruits of the faith are important. But the starting point is not with my efforts but His grace. As Paul was told that God's grace was sufficient for him (2 Cor. 12:9), may His grace be sufficient for me also...

Stepping down...

God may have given me wisdom; I hope so. I poured out my heart to Him tonight. I asked God to fill me with wisdom. What may have been after the prayer, I talked with my mom on the phone and from her was given the advice to quit a particular ministry...

So...

I'm planning to quit, greatly minimize my involvement, or take a break. Will people be inconvenienced because of this decision? Perhaps. Will some people wonder or/and internally judge me negatively? Perhaps. Some might not.

I poured a lot of my heart into this ministry. Stepping back is probably the right thing for me to do, though, at this point in time. If my heart and uncomfortability don't change with my continued involvement, perhaps the external decision of my removal or partial removal will help heal my heart and help the sanctification process.

God knows my heart...God knows my heart....to Him be the glory, hopefully even through this decision....Hopefully it was made through His wisdom.

Stepping down...which will hopefully be a step Up...

In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement

...is a forthcoming book by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever

You can see the endorsements here, at the Between Two Worlds blog.

Facebook Song

Just...trust me.

So I made a mark on 2-3 students' tests today, to indicate their test-time chatter. A couple of them seemed alarmed at my doing so; they seemed to feel justified in their behavior, and I can understand how they might feel that way. Even though I 'disciplined' them in this way, in my heart I know they don't have to worry. Trust me. I know that if they end up at least close to the minimum requirements for achievement and proficiency, there's a good chance they'll pass. I'll have to figure out for sure if it's okay at this school to 'flub' a bit if some students don't technically make the cut, but I assume it would probably be okay. At another school, I think I've used my 'sense' on students who numerically didn't get to the level I thought they should be at. So in the end...what are grades? They're meant to measure the students' proficiency and progress. Hopefully they motivate the students to study and try their best. Ultimately, come grade time, though, I'll have a general sense of who should or should not pass. Yes, I'll do the numbers and plug them into excel, blah blah blah. And there might be a few borderliners and people I'm unsure of whether or not they should pass. It'll be with those students that I may need to balance my 'sense' with their numerical achievement and proficiency and final test performance.

Life application.

In times of trial (which might include for some questioning the fairness of or reasons for particular life crises), we can still trust. We can trust Him. He knows what he's doing. He works all for the good. He disciplines "for our good" (Hebrews 12:10). "...the testing of [our] faith develops perseverance" (James 1:3). Trials "have come so that [our] faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 5:7). In the midst of trial, we can still trust.

Our performance and achievement is not the admission ticket to heaven. Yes, a genuine faith will bear fruit. A "faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26). Thankfully God's spirit can work in us and through us. But we don't have to worry that our sin will prevent us from the glory of heaven. Jesus paid our admission ticket in full, if we accept His gift through faith in Him.

Desperate for Forgiveness

Here's a link to a videoclip from an ER segment: Atonement

It portrays a man desperately, frustratingly longing for answers; he's longing for forgiveness because he's "running out of time"...

How many people may feel this desperate without me even knowing? How many people might want me to share with them how to find forgiveness, or how many people want to know about the gospel or life after death? How often do I hide this vital news from those desperate to know?

I think my mom has described 1 or 2 occasions in her pre-saved days where she wanted to be told about Christianity, where she wanted to be told, to be let in...

How often might I deny people the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ? How many don't know the basic gospel message:

realizing how great God is and how people cannot match that perfection; we fall short in our sin,

knowing that the consequence of sin is eternal separation from God and punishment after death,

confessing our sin and realizing we need some way outside of ourselves to be made clean in God's eyes; knowing it is only by God's grace that we can be saved,

believing that Jesus (God's Son; fully God and fully man) is the way; He bridges the gap between us and God; His death paid the penalty our sin deserves. He rose again on the third day and is alive today.

Hope in both this life and the one after death can be found through Christ.

John 3:16 --> "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." That verse right there contains the saving message of the gospel.