Tried With Fire

From my notes on Sunday's sermon : - Cherish and nurture our children in the Gospel. Not that they only love you, but that they fall in love with Christ. - Give our children the Gospel, not Christian materialism. - The Gospel is Christ-esteem not self-esteem. - Raise children who are poor in spirit not religious moralists. - Obedience is out of our identity and standing. Our identity and standing is not because of our obedience. Pastor Ryan's point about not raising children who are just religious moralists struck a chord in my heart. I was raised in a Christian home by parents who love the Lord. Not to fault them, but I was a Christian and a good religious moralist. I never rebelled, at least not outwardly. I was always one of the good kids. But I also learned how to play the game. I learned that as long as I maintained a good outward appearance everyone thought I was a good Christian daughter. Although there was nothing outwardly wrong in my behavior, I shudder at wh...

I suggest that the main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this: that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self. Am I trying to be delibrately paradoxical? Far from it. This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. 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? Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Spiritual Depression" Today, I listened to a message by C.J. Mahaney on this same subject. This is applicable not only to those in spiritual depression but anytime I choose to believe myself over what is in the Word of God. There are many times when my experience and subjective view on life are held above what God says. It makes me cringe to own up to that but it's the truth. Putting it so bluntly helps to reveal it for what it really is. Pride, self trust, self confidence, all summed up in one word - sin. It is so easy to turn subjectiv...