“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.” ~ Benjamin Franklin. (Quoted in Os Guinness, Time For Truth, page 86).
Monthly Archive for January, 2009
If you think everyone is right, then you think the people are wrong who think everyone else isn’t always right.
Said another way, it is inherently impossible to believe that everyone is right.
Whether or not you believe his comment that I once had a streaky jump shot- – you can read Grand Rapids Theological Seminary professor’s Mike Wittmer thoughts about Unpacking Forgiveness here.
Paul Adams has posted about Unpacking Forgiveness on his blog (click here). If your Greek skills are a bit rusty, the phrase at the top of his blog means, “in Christ Jesus.”
I occasionally lead our family in a little sanctified speculation about angelic activity. What does it look like that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him (Psalm 34:7)? Or, that God commands his angels concerning his people (Psalm 91:11)?
I tell the children, “We never know how an angel might have saved us. Perhaps, there was a bullet flying our way and an angel snatched it between his thumb and forefinger and flicked it into the nearest trash can.” I’m sure angels are environmentally conscious.
My kids like the picture of an angel punching in and getting marching orders to go watch out for the Brauns family.
So long as we call it the speculation that it is, there is value in reflecting on the presence of angels. All of which is to say that one of the Pyro types (Dan Phillips) has written a worthwhile reflection on angels which is a bit more biblically informed than some of my speculation. Dan begins:
We know a lot about angels, and that we don’t know a lot about angels. There is a great deal of Biblical material, on the one hand; but there are many gaps, holes, and lacunae.
We know that angels are spirit beings of great knowledge, antiquity and power. They can move quickly (Daniel 9:21; Luke 2:13), can appear on earth (Genesis 18:2), or in the throne room of God (Job 1:6). They are spirits (Hebrews 1:7), but can take tangible form and interact with matter (Daniel 10:10). They have consciousness of self and of others (Luke 1:19).
Artists have represented angels often, but almost always clearly wrongly.
FYI: Dan lives on the West Coast and uses vocabulary which stretches the people here in the flatlands. “Lacunae” means “gaps” or “blank spots.” It has nothing to do with the Lion King song. That was “hakuna” matata.
Read the whole thing here.
Do you realize that we cannot understand and apply the Word of God on our own? If we simply read the Bible and try and apply it by means of our own insight and intellect, we are destined to fail. The only way we can truly comprehend the Scriptures is through the help of the Holy Spirit. This is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2.
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Co 2:14).”
We need the Holy Spirit to illuminate the meaning of the Scriptures – - to light it up and show us how it applies to our lives.
That being the case, one of the most important things we can do when reading the Bible and hearing the Word preached is pray and ask the Holy Spirit to graciously light up the truth so that we can see its significance for how we should think and live.
We should pray, Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
So, here is what you do. Go home and get out your Bible. Open it up the Gospel of John or James or a chapter of Proverbs, or wherever God might lead you. And, then, before you read, pray this prayer. God, open my eyes so that I might see wonderful things in your Word.
Here is what you do. When you sit in church next Sunday and get ready to here the Word preached, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes so that you can see wonderful things in the Word. We need the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit.
David wasn’t the only guy who could put a smooth stone to work. Watch this guy who was discovered somewhere in the hills of North Carolina.
HT: Stephen Altrogge
Jollyblogger quotes Martyn LLoyd-Jones on why we need to talk to ourselves.
Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc.
Somebody is talking. Who is talking? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: “Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you . . .”The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. . . .
Read more here.
Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Here is the text of Rick Warren’s prayer:
Almighty God, our Father:
Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.
It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.
History is your story.
The Scripture tells us, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.
We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Give to our new president, Barack Obama,
the wisdom to lead us with humility,the courage to lead us with integrity,
the compassion to lead us with generosity.
Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans–united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.
When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you–forgive us.
When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone–forgive us.
When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve–forgive us.
And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.
May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.
And may we never forget that one day, all nations–and all people–will stand accountable before you.
We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, ‘Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
HT: Brad Greenberg for the initial transcript and Justin Taylor
