Tried With Fire

Commitment to the truth is a sign of personal integrity and ethics, but it is also obedience to the 9th commandment. It's easy to think that it only pertains to telling outright whoppers, but what about slander? What about passing on information that is unverified? Social media certainly provides plenty of opportunity to share hoaxes, fake news, and false cures with just a click. What about choosing to ignore or deny the truth because it does not conform to our narratives or implicates our idols? In light of that, I think these quotes from All That's Good are worth considering. "Facts are not the sum total of all that is true, but truth is not a set of privately held beliefs that cannot be tested by other people. The information that we use to come to our decisions must be available to them, and we must be prepared for our decisions and opinions to come under scrutiny. We must not be offended when people ask us to prove them. We must not expect people to accept them s...

1. Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched, Weak and wounded, sick and sore; Jesus, ready, stands to save you, Full of pity, joined with power. He is able, He is able; He is willing; doubt no more. 2. Come ye needy, come, and welcome, God's free bounty glorify; True belief and true repentance, Every grace that brings you nigh. Without money, without money Come to Jesus Christ and buy. 3. Come, ye weary, heavy laden, Bruised and broken by the fall; If you tarry 'til you're better, You will never come at all. Not the righteous, not the righteous; Sinners Jesus came to call. 4. Let not conscience make you linger, Nor of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requires Is to feel your need of Him. This He gives you, this He gives you, 'Tis the Spirit's rising beam. 5. Lo! The Incarnate God, ascended; Pleads the merit of His blood. Venture on Him; venture wholly, Let no other trust intrude. None but Jesus, none but Jesus Can do helpless si...

Mother: I've never grown old before. Daughter: None of us have. Mother: Is there a book that I can read that can help me know what to do? Daughter: There may be, but what works for one person may not work for everyone. So we have to trust God. When my sister related this conversation she had with our mom, I had to smile. This is Mom and her methodology to a T. Do the research, learn the rules, then do it right. This showed in her organization, efficiency, and thinking through and planning for everything to the smallest detail. This is how she functioned until the fall in the form of dementia began to manifest. Thus every glimpse that it is still Mom and not the disease is encouraging, But the details are much more elusive now. My mom compensates by jotting down lists on scraps of paper to help her remember what to do. I've come across those lists, and I marvel at her efforts. I also weep a little because, barring a miracle, I don't think she will get her memory bac...

My review of All That's Good by Hannah Anderson is up at Out of the Ordinary , and we're giving away a copy of the book too. Head on over to read the review here . I wanted to focus on Hannah's book and not bring in another one because I didn't want to compare books or authors, but I will mention this. I read "How to Think" by Alan Jacobs last year, one of my favorites of the year. When I completed it, I wished that there was a similar book but more in depth specifically for Christians. All That's Good  is THAT book! And one more note - even though the author is a woman, this book is for all believers.

These quotes are from All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah Anderson. Lord willing, I will finish my work for today so I can write a review for Out of the Ordinary  tomorrow. In the meantime, I think these few quotes are worth pondering. "Broadly speaking, discernment is the ability to sort between a host of options and pick what is good. It carries the idea of judging the merits of something, being able to distinguish between good and bad and what is best... In other words, discernment does not change the challenges we face; it changes our ability to face them."  (pg. 25) "But tips and tricks are not skill and expertise. Information and data are not wisdom and knowledge. And knowing something is not the same as knowing how to do it or whether you even should." (pg. 26) "[T]here are no hacks to discernment. No easy steps to follow, no lists or tricks or tips to ensure that you'll be able to make good decision when y...

In the day when silent sorrow Seems to shake me to the core Then I hear the heavenly comfort, "You will weep no more." God Himself will dry your tears God Himself will soothe your fears In the day when earthly weakness Weighs your weary spirit down All around you seems a burden All above you seems a frown God Himself will dry your tears God Himself will soothe your fears In the day when sin oppresses And the battle rages strong When the victory seems doubtful Or triumphant seems the wrong God Himself will dry your tears God Himself will soothe your fears God Himself will dry your tears God Himself will soothe your fears Oh I hear the heavenly comfort, "You will weep no more." © 2016 Detuned Radio Music. Written by Matthew S. Smith, based in part on a text by Horatius Bonar.

The following quotes are from chapter 3 of The Son Who Learned Obedience by R. Glenn Butner, Jr. This chapter specifically covers how EFS (Eternal Functional Subordination) impacts substitutionary atonement. Something to seriously consider. "Calvin claimed that Christ "removed enmity between God and us... by the whole course of his obedience," and interpreted Galatians 4 to indicate that the obedience toward deliverance began "from the moment when he assumed the form of a servant." Why is this the case? Because only human beings are subject to the law, so only humans can obey the law and thereby fulfill the covenantal obligations of humanity, providing obedience that is the basis for our justification. The Son was born of Mary so that he can obey the law as a human. As Christ himself taught, he came to fulfill the law (Matt 5:17)." 1 "The reason Anselm insisted that Christ's obedience is not obligatory or due to eternal obedience is in orde...

I am thankful for  the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting . Jesus is fully man and fully God. Otherwise, he could not be our savior and our interceding high priest. He also did not cease to be human at his resurrection and ascension. God created us as human beings. We don't become angels when we die. We don't become disembodied spirits, as though the goal of the Christian life is to rid itself of the physical body. This denigration of the material is Platonic and Gnostic, both pagan in their origins. The problem isn't the body. The problem is sin. But because of Christ's finished work, the problem of sin has been dealt with once and for all. We are saved as human beings, and we will be fully human as we were intended to be. The souls of those in the presence of the Lord will be reunited to their resurrected bodies when Christ returns. If we are still alive that day, our bodies will be changed as well into bodies that will never experience sin or ...

I journey forth rejoicing From this dark vale of tears To heavenly joy and freedom From earthly bonds and fears Where Christ our Lord shall gather All His redeemed again, His kingdom to inherit-- Goodnight, goodnight till then Why thus so sadly weeping Beloved ones of my heart? The Lord is good and gracious Though now He bids us part Oft have we met in gladness And we shall meet again All sorrow left behind us-- Goodnight, goodnight till then I go to see His glory Whom we have loved below I go, the blessed angels The holy saints to know. Our lovely ones departed I go to find again And wait for you to join us-- Goodnight, goodnight till then I hear the Savior calling-- The joyful hour has come The angel-guards are ready To guide me to our home Where Christ our Lord shall gather All His redeemed again, His kingdom to inherit-- Goodnight, goodnight till then

My dad finished his race and was called home last night. We lost someone we love, but we are rejoicing for his gain. He will never experience sin, sickness, pain, sadness, or worry ever again. And one day we will be reunited with him and be with the Lord forever. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we ...

It's been a busy summer and fall for my family. We moved my mom into memory care and then my dad into assisted living. Shortly after his move, my dad's health took a down turn, and he was hospitalized and in rehab. He is now home with hospice care. It's a sad time for us, but God has been so kind even in the grief. As my friend Kim wrote this morning, "In these days when it seems like all around us see nothing but doom and gloom, we need to understand that God is good." So it wouldn't be right if I didn't thank him for all that he has done. Answered prayer:  Based on the observations of the hospice and assisted living staff, they suggested that family come sooner rather than later. We went up last weekend, but prior to leaving, I asked the folks in my church to pray that we would be able to see my dad and that he would be able to meet his first great grandchild. God answered both of those prayers. It was hard to not start bawling when my nephew held...

I hate the fall. Not the season of Autumn, but the fall of humanity in the Garden and all its consequences. I hate seeing what it does to my loved ones in terms of illness and death. I hate seeing how it breeds animosity among people. I hate how sin has blinded us to knowing God. Denying its existence is being untruthful and frankly delusional. But being a Christian enables me to face this reality with the knowledge that Christ has redeemed me from the curse. The full effect of this redemption will occur when He returns. In the New Heaven and Earth, creation will be restored. Our bodies will be resurrected and fit for eternity. We will be forever with the Lord. This is what the Bible teaches regardless of how the prosperity gospel wants to twist it. And if that is what is awaiting for those who are in Christ, why would I want my best life now ? So I live in this tension of the already-and-not-yet, looking forward to heaven and yet not wanting to minimize the life and the joy that G...