Tried With Fire

I'm thankful for: ~Safety during heavy thunderstorms and minor flooding. ~ Returning to the regular routine of school and work. I can't believe this will be our last year of homeschooling! ~ Laughter and hugs. ~ Strength, health, God's faithful provision, and another year to praise Him. ~ God's saving grace which opened this sinner's eyes.

If God's Word is alive and active and powerful, then, first, we should study it with respect for the words. Second, we should study it trusting in the sufficiency of the words - without itching for something else. Such a powerful Word is a sufficient Word. Peter tells us that God's "divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which, he has granted to us his precious and very great promises" (2. Peter 1:3-4). Everything ... all things we need for life and godliness are ours in Christ, who brings to completion every promise God has ever made, every word ever spoken.  The sufficiency of this Word, as it reveals the sufficiency of Christ, should keep us from being the kind of people with "itching ears", who "will not endure sound teaching" but who "will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn aw...

"A Word from God implies a word from outside of us, a breaking into our lives by some transcendent being to whom we are obliged to listen. But our culture is listening much more closely to voices inside ourselves; we tend to read words and say how they make us feel, rather than read words and ask what they say and how we should rightly respond. To read the Bible as the authoritative Word of God means to read it with a heart ready to listen and submit. This is a radical activity in a culture that does not embrace the legitimacy of authority." "If we start with the assumption that we as readers use our individual contexts and experiences to shape our own meanings from the words, then Bible study will consist mainly of a series of personal reactions and opinions. The dance will be chaotic and, in the end, narcissistic. On the other hand, if we study with the assumption that God intends to give us meaning that we can receive more or less clearly through words, then Bible...

This morning's fog highlighted these webs. Spiders are not welcome inside , but I do appreciate their amazing handiwork outside where it belongs.

This past week was a contrast between great joy and sorrow for our church. We witnessed a young couple exchange their vows and celebrated their marriage. We also learned of the loss of a precious baby and wept for the parents. The latter situation made me long for Christ's return. This world is such a sad and broken place. We groan for the day when we will no longer feel the effects of sin. One day, every tear will be wiped away, and all that has been ruined by the fall will be renewed. But as I was reflecting on the wedding ceremony and the words pointing us to Christ and the church, this also makes me long for Christ's return. As much as I pray that this couple has a long and happy marriage, there will be a day when the shadow gives way to reality, the day when we will be forever with the Lord. God was sovereign in drawing this man and woman together, and He was sovereign in bringing this little one home. He hasn't changed. He's the same loving God and Father wh...

96. Q. What is God's will for us in the Second Commandment? A. That we in no way make any image of God nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded in His Word. 97. Q. May we then not make any image at all? A. God can not and may not be visibly portrayed in any way. Although creatures may be portrayed, yet God forbids making or having such images if one's intention is to worship them or to serve God through them. 98. Q. But may not images be permitted in the churches as teaching aids for the unlearned? A. No, we shouldn't try to be wiser than God. He wants His people instructed by the living preaching of His Word - not by idols that cannot even talk. "[W]e need to be faithful to instruct the people of God. If God designed His people to be taught by the reading and preaching of the Holy Scripture, we should not assume that He can't get the job done without images. The argument made during the Reformation was, "We can't lose the images b...