Tried With Fire

" Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ " (2 Pet. 3:18). The subject of the text which heads this page is one that ought to be deeply interesting to every true Christian. It naturally raises the questions: "Do we grow in grace?" "Do we get on in our religion?" "Do we make progress?" To a mere formal Christian I cannot expect the inquiry to seem worth attention. The man who has nothing more than a kind of Sunday religion—whose Christianity is like his Sunday clothes, put on once a week, and then laid aside—such a man cannot, of course, be expected to care about growth in grace. He knows nothing about such matters. They are foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14). But to everyone who is in downright earnest about his soul, and hungers and thirsts after spiritual life, the question ought to come home with searching power. Do we make progress in our religion? Do we grow? The question is one that is...

Colds are no fun at all. For some reason, they seem worse in the summer. With the heat and humidity, the last thing you want is a bog up your sinuses. Also, hot chicken soup is not as appetizing as it is in the winter. I'm not sick but my daughter is. Thankfully, this seems to be a relatively mild cold. She also has had a very good attitude about being sick. Prior to believing in the sovereignty of God, I would be resisting any illness with the thought that God could not possibly want us to be sick. Now it's much more restful believing that God is sovereign over viruses, bacteria, immune systems, etc. and that He ordains even when we catch the common cold.

From my notes on Pastor Ryan's sermon on Hebrews 10:26-31: - Those who are Christ's will not lose their salvation. - This describes those who outwardly accept the Gospel but inwardly are devoid of the Gospel. - If the Gospel of grace has taken hold of us, it will change us. - Sinning deliberately is a setting aside of the Gospel. "I am not going to change. I am not going to embrace what Christ says I need to embrace." By denying the Gospel, we stand in open judgment. - If you reject Christ, you are rejecting the only true sacrifice for sin . There is no other sacrifice. There is no other sacrifice that will avail. - It is a rejection of the Son, rejection of His work, rejection of His Spirit. Pastor Ryan used the example from Zechariah 3 of Joshua standing before the Angel of the Lord with Satan accusing him. The Angel of the Lord removes his filthy garments and clothes him in clean garments. Pastor Ryan said that a rejection of Christ would be as if we were stan...

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10: 26-31 This was the text from today's sermon . This afternoon, my daughter and I talked about the sermon for a long time. It was a very sobering message. We couldn't listen to it and not think of her dad. Although only God knows the true state of his heart...

At church this morning, we finished packing up boxes of food to give to families in the community. I think there were a total of 47 requests. I'm glad for this opportunity to serve those around us who are in need. It will be interesting to see what doors the Lord may open through this. This afternoon, my daughter and I went to see G-Force , the new Disney guinea pig 3-D action adventure. The premise of highly trained guinea pig FBI agents is over the top, but that was probably the whole point. It was a cute movie. There was no language but some bathroom humor which seems to always be present in kids' movies. The film makers did a good job with the CGI pigs. They looked very realistic right down to their funny walk. By comparison, our piggy Rusty AKA Plumpy looked like a lazy, fat, furry yam. He has made it clear that he is no secret agent. "Could you put me down, please? I'd like to continue with my nap." I'm looking forward to being with the saints tomorrow...

Here's a funny video by Tim Hawkins to end the week:

God sent help from Zion today. I can't go into the details because I still have to go back to court again . But He intervened, and I give Him all the glory. I pray that I would remember today and not forget "till now the Lord has helped us." Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I'm come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Psalm 118:8-9 All the way my Savior leads me; What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my Guide? Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well; For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well. ~ Fanny Crosby Tomorrow is my final court date. God has been faithful and will be faithful whate'er befall me. To my brothers and sisters who have been standing with us during this trial, thank you for your prayers.

It's been an intense week for me, so here's a little comic relief courtesy of Maru and Simon.

There are times in our lives When nothing seems stable Everything around us waivers with change But my God is alive and He makes me able When every single ounce of my strength has waned Though disappointment takes it's toll My faith's foundation holds To everything I've heard in His Word 'Cause I know that Sometimes the things that we think are for sure Fade like the ending of days Sometimes the things that we think are secure Pass away I know that sometimes the things that we seek and we find Break both our hearts and our minds But Lord You are the same The same all the time There are promises sure our Father has made to us That He swore to us would never be changed If we simply endure, obey and learn to trust We will be repaid for all of our pain Though sometimes sorrows pierce our soul My Jesus will console Every aching heart, torn apart 'Cause I know that Sometimes the things that we think are for sure Fade like the ending of days Sometimes the things that we t...

"But I believe God gets most glory in the world when we maintain our stability of faith and our joy of faith when we have nothing to maintain that faith anymore but God alone. Then He really gets glory. My little comment about signs and wonders would be God can and does do them and gets glory but not half so much as when, according to John 21: 19, we die well. The world will be happy when it gets well. It doesn't take any spiritual reality to rejoice when you get well. And if you want to tack on God did it, the world will say, 'Fine, you can say God did it. We say science did it. But you love it, I love it, and we know where you treasure is.' But they can't say that in the dying hour when you're rejoicing. They just can't say it anymore." John Piper - To Live Upon God That is Invisible , the life of John Bunyan

No one ever said that they learned their deepest lessons of life, or had their sweetest encounters with God, on the sunny days. People go deep with God when the drought comes. That is the way God designed it. Christ aims to be magnified in life most clearly by the way we experience him in our losses. Paul is our example: "We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). The design of Paul's suffering was to make radically clear for his own soul, and for ours, that God and God alone is the only treasure who lasts. When everything in life is stripped away except God, and we thrust him more because of it, this is gain, and he is glorified. Don't Waste Your Life ~ John Piper (page 73, emphasis mine)

We've been studying Ruth in our ladies Bible study. We had a good discussion about the actual account versus what we may read into it with our imagination. Also as women, we are probably more prone to want to find the "love story" behind the scenes. It would be easy to imagine Boaz (Jewish Sean Connery type) seeing Ruth (Moabitish young Audrey Hepburn type) across his field for the first time. Suddenly, you hear the orchestra swell. Off screen someone begins to sing, "Some enchanted evening, you may meet a stranger...." Their eyes meet in slow mo. Bells ring and song birds begin to sing in addition to the orchestral music. Stop. Rewind. Come back to what is written. Interestingly, love is only mentioned once and it refers to the love that Ruth had for her mother-in-law. (Ruth 4:15) Love is never mentioned explicitly in relation to Ruth or Boaz. The book never mentions how Ruth or Boaz looked or their feelings for one another. In chapter 1 where Ruth pleads wit...

of being a parent is being able to talk about the things of God with your children. Tonight, my daughter said to me, "I think we need to talk." That could mean any number of things. However, she wanted to tell me that she had been under conviction since Pastor Ryan's sermon on Hebrews 9:28. She was convicted because she felt that she was not eagerly waiting for Christ as she should. I'm so glad she was able to share this with me, because she's not the only one. If we arrived at the spiritual plateau of never struggling with sin or lack of devotion to Christ or feeling a lack in spiritual growth, we'd already be glorified or worse, deceived as to our true condition. It's a day in and day out fight to our last breath. Not that we have already attained, but we press on towards the goal. This made me rejoice in the Lord. As a parent, you pray and pray for your child to come to Christ and follow Him. When I see these signs of fruit in her life, I praise God for...

I picked up Don't Waste Your Life again this past week-end. How do you live a wartime lifestyle in 21st century America? How do I view my possessions, how do I love my child, how do I spend my money, how do I spend my time so it's evident that Christ is my treasure? These are hard questions, but I need to ask them of myself.

Here are some funny videos to start off the week. ht: the daily cute This is a video of the famous internet cat, Maru of Japan.

How deep the Father's love for us How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure How great the pain of searing loss The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory Behold the Man upon a cross My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom But I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection Why should I gain from His reward I cannot give an answer But this I know with all my heart His wounds have paid my ransom ~ Stuart Townend It was good to be with the Lord's people today. We sang this modern day hymn before celebrating the Lord's table.

This is a great recipe for buttery sugar cookies. It's an easy recipe to make. Also, the kids can get involved in rolling the dough and dipping the cookies in the sprinkles. Personally, I could pass on the sprinkles, but then I wouldn't be getting my daily allowance of artificial food coloring. I wish I could remember where I got this recipe to give credit where credit is due. This batch is headed to our church lunch tomorrow. Sprinkle Cookies 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (We have used salted butter and it tasted fine.) 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp pure vanilla extract ½ cup or more multicolor sprinkles 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2.Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. 3.Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixt...

For want of counting the cost, the children of religious parents often turn out ill and bring disgrace on Christianity. Familiar from their earliest years with the form and theory of the gospel, taught even from infancy to repeat great leading texts, accustomed every week to be instructed in the gospel, or to instruct others in Sunday schools, they often grow up professing a religion without knowing why or without ever having thought seriously about it . And then when the realities of grown–up life begin to press upon them, they often astound everyone by dropping all their religion and plunging right into the world. And why? They had never thoroughly understood the sacrifices which Christianity entails. They had never been taught to count the cost. ~ Holiness by J.C. Ryle This quote by J.C. Ryle was very sobering. I was also sobered while reading What He Must Be . Voddie Baucham quotes James Snyder's biography of A.W. Tozer. Although Tozer was a great preacher and writer, he "...

We have it on good authority that the following is the correct food to have for Calvin's Birthday Bash.

Calvin bookmark

More about John Calvin at Calvin 500

While many people are preparing to honor John Calvin's spiritual legacy on the 500th anniversary of his birth, another celebration of sorts is planned for the same day. Chick-fil-a is celebrating cow appreciation day on July 10th. They are giving away free combo meals throughout the day. However, the catch is that the customer has to dress from head to toe like a cow. A partial cow costume or accessory will get you a complimentary entree. Any takers?

I struggle with this. Particularly when it seems that justice is not being served in my situation. If it doesn't come out of my mouth, it certainly is in my heart. Why do I, why do we, think this way? I think it's because we think that we deserve something. We deserve justice. We deserve to be treated right. If we are wronged, the perpertrator should be held accountable. But what if that doesn't happen? What happened to Joseph? What happened to Isaiah and Jeremiah? But more importantly, what happened to Jesus? Christ teaches the soul this, so that, as in the presence of God on a real sight of itself, it can say: 'Lord, I am nothing, Lord, I deserve nothing, Lord, I can do nothing, I can receive nothing, and can make use of nothing, I am worse than nothing, and if I come to nothing and perish I will be no loss at all and therefore is it such a great thing for me to be cut short here?' A man who is little in his own eyes will account every affliction as little, a...

I need a good laugh today. Maybe you do too... ADDENDUM: I had to add this one as well. I was trying to work in the next room and I heard by daughter cracking up. HT - cuteobsession.com HT - cuteobsession.com And then... HT - lolbunnies.com And finally the product of the future... HT - cuteobsession.com

It is incredibly sad how sin, the world, and Satan have degraded marriage from God's original intention. What was intended as a lifelong covenant is now, more often than not, a temporary arrangement for self gratification rather than displaying God's glory in covenant keeping. When it ends, the main issues revolve around material possessions and money. In fact, the dissolution of the marriage can be faster than the equitable distribution of stuff and mammon. This evening, after my daughter came home, my husband stayed to get some of the things that were his part of the "division of marital property". Highly awkward to say the least. I wasn't bothered by losing the things that he took. He is more than welcome to them. I don't want them or care about what he took. However, I am grieved that this is all it comes down to for him and the courts. Money and stuff. But we are not those who live without hope. Marriages will fail on earth but the spiritual real...

These quotes are from the chapter, The Cost , in Holiness by J. C. Ryle. There is nothing we naturally dislike so much as "trouble" about our religion. We hate trouble. We secretly wish we could have a vicarious Christianity, and could be good by proxy, and have everything done for us. Anything that requires exertion and labor is entirely against the grain of our hearts. But the soul can have "no gains without pains." Considering the weight of this great cost, bold indeed must that man be who would dare to say that we may keep our self–righteousness, our sins, our laziness and our love of the world, and yet be saved! Moreover, I grant it costs much to be a true Christian. But what sane man or woman can doubt that it is worth any cost to have the soul saved? When the ship is in danger of sinking, the crew think nothing of casting overboard the precious cargo. When a limb is mortified, a man will submit to any severe operation, and even to amputation, to save life. S...

(Disclaimer: no theology in this post, just a large rabbit) I am trying to have a more productive day, so I will let Big Bun be lazy for me. Mode #1: Compact Relaxation aka Bunny Loaf Mode #2: Stretched Relaxation (If Big Bun was completely stretched out, he would probably measure close to 30 inches.)

1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; 8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! This is something that I could never think ab...

Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Psalm 135: 6-7 When we were driving home from prayer meeting on Wednesday night, we were admiring the sun shining through openings in the gathering clouds. Shortly after we got home, it started to thunder and lightning. The storm only lasted about an hour. We didn't lose power so I thought it was a typical summer thunderstorm. When I looked at today's paper , I learned that the storm was so severe that it knocked four high tension power lines spanning the James River off 300 ft transmission towers . As you can see in the picture above, the dark lines going down into the water are the fallen power lines. The power of nature is an awesome thing. It's sobering to think that 85-90 mph hurricane force winds, strong enough to knock down thousands of pound...

Innocent Eye Test ~ Mark Tansey 1981 Do you ever think about things too much? I'm not talking about worrying, but ruminating too much even about good, healthy, theological issues. Since cows are ruminants, and rumination means to ponder , muse , or meditate , my daughter will say that I am mooing if I am in one of my thinking moods. Well, sometimes I moo too much. It often starts out as an honest search for an answer to a theological question or trying to find the root of an issue in my life but then the rumination takes on a life of its own. Rather than just living, I think about living rather than just doing it. So rather than analyzing to death what and why I am doing what I am doing, maybe I just need to get on with life and live it. This verse is a good reminder when I over moo it. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

I highly recommend Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung. It's a short book that packs a big punch. Also as someone who has had a wrong view of the will of God for most of my life, this book clears up a lot of things. I didn't realize how confused I was/am until reading this book. It has been a breath of fresh air cutting through the mystical ideas of the will of God that I used to hold. Part of my confusion may be due to being taught that the entire history of mankind since the fall is Plan B. Therefore, God doesn't appear to have very good control over His creation since He has been trying to salvage things since the Garden. In fact, the will of God becomes a very tenuous thing because there is absolutely no security that His will will happen since man and the devil seem to be awfully good at derailing it. Also, if human history is Plan B, what plan am I in? Given all the wrong choices that I could have made, I could be in the third, fourth, or fifth derivative of Plan...