Discipleship

Don’t rob God

/ David Thomas / Leave a comment

Last Sunday evening we were looking at the 8th commandment – “You shall not steal.”  We spent some of our time looking at how we might be guilty of stealing from God, from Malachi 3:6-18.

This morning I came across this helpful article on Why you should tithe to your local church, by Daniel Darling, where he concludes

The most important blessing of faithful, consistent giving is spiritual. There is a joy in giving God your money. There is a wonderful sense of release and trust. Giving sacrificially is a form of worship.

XV the Bible in 15

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XV looks like a really exciting new free app from Matthias Media for helping to gain an overview of the whole Bible storyline.  Find out more about it here or search for and download it from the AppStore.

From the Matthias Media main web page:

A tour of the big breathtaking picture of creation, the fall and the history of God’s dealings with Israel, the promise of restoration, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and what is still to come—the whole story, with all its ups and downs, and with the certainty of God’s promise shining through.

Holiness in little things

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We sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that the true test for holiness is whether we look to God in the big events in life – ‘who will I marry,’ ‘which new job should I consider,’ ‘where and how should I educate my children?’  We certainly need to be making those decisions with reference to God’s will for us, but that’s not where the rub of holiness hits us day in and day out.

Here’s an excerpt from Kevin DeYoung’s upcoming book  The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap Between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness (Crossway; August 31, 2012), page 145:

Holiness is the sum of a million little things — the avoidance of little evils and little foibles, the setting aside of little bits of worldliness and little acts of compromise, the putting to death of little inconsistencies and little indiscretions, the attention to little duties and little dealings, the hard work of little self-denials and little self-restraints, the cultivation of little benevolences and little forbearances. Are you trustworthy? Are you kind? Are you patient? Are you joyful? Do you love? These qualities, worked out in all the little things of life, determine whether you are blight or blessing to everyone around you, whether you are an ugly spiritual eyesore or growing up into a good-looking Christian.

Pride isn’t fussy

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A while back I posted this on negative pride, the idea that those who have a low opinion of themselves seek to be the centre of attention because of it.  I came across this quote from Tim Keller this morning which I think is  helpful in this regard.

the opposite of thinking highly of ourselves is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. 

The more I look at myself, whether it’s with boastful or degrading thoughts, I will reinforce my belief that I am the centre of my universe.  Pride isn’t fussy in that respect, it’ll let me live as the hero or the villain as long as I’m centre stage and playing the lead role.

It’s only as I think less of myself and look more to Christ that I’m truly able to defeat the pride of my heart, by allowing him to rule it.

Should saints have a Halo?

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There’s a helpful article here from Rich Clark on How to Respond to the Video Game Crisis. Video games are often demonised by those who have little exposure to them, and glorified by those who feel twitchy without a games controller in their hands.

Video games can certainly distract us from our gospel commission, but so can many other things.  Rich sums up his article like this:

Yes, video games are contributing to our crisis of a pervasive entertainment culture. Much of what we watch, listen to, and play encourages escapism. But the problem isn’t so much with the medium as with the naïve and thoughtless ways we indulge ourselves. Neither blindly chasing “cool” video games nor stubbornly rejecting every new form of entertainment can protect us from our sinful disposition. What we choose to play, we must learn to responsibly engage.

A prayer against the idols of my heart

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Thanks to Scotty Smith for his A prayer about the functional boss of my heart

 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Col. 3:15

Dear Lord Jesus, today, like every day, somebody or something is going to gain the upper hand on my heart. My heart will be swayed, captured and ruled. Some entity will be the “boss of me”—my functional king.

It could be my bitterness, pettiness, or cowardice. It could be the shaming power of darkness or the alluring power of lust. It could be overbearing or aggravating people. It could be my greed to have a little more or my obsession to be a lot different. It could be religion or my hatred of religion. It could be old regrets or new fantasies. It could be food, success or approval, but I will live as the submissive citizen of some reign(s) today.

But in light of this Scripture, and by the faith you’ve given me, right now, I choose your peace as the ruler of my heart, as the “boss of me,” as the centering and sending power for this one day. And who knows peace better than you, Jesus? You are the Prince of Peace! On the cross you secured God’s peace with me and my peace with God. The enmity and hostility between us have been obliterated and eradicated. Peace with God is now a legal right of mine, a done deal, a settled issue. How can I not overflow with gratitude as this day begins and as it continues?

Lord Jesus, please make this legal right a personal delight—an actual power mightily at work in my heart today and in all my relationships. The peace you gives does much more than simply calm my restless, wandering heart. You peace is the power of reconciling love. You make enemies friends. You humble stubborn people. You soften hard people. You make angry people gentle.

Because you have forgiven me, I will choose to forgive others. Because you have forgiven me, I will choose to ask forgiveness from others. Because you are at peace with me, I will do everything within my power to live at peace with others. So very Amen I pray, in your holy and persistent name.