Tried With Fire

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go a...

Our divine Master, not confining himself to words, has by a parable set before us, as in a picture, a representation of true humility. He brings forward a publican, who standing afar off, and not daring to lift up his eyes to heaven, smites upon his breast, laments aloud, and exclaims, “ God be merciful to me a sinner,” (Luke 18:13). Let us not suppose that he gives the signs of a fictitious modesty when he dares not come near or lift up his eyes to heaven, but, smiting upon his breast, confesses himself a sinner; let us know that these are the evidences of his internal feeling. With him our Lord contrasts the Pharisee, who thanks God “I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” In this public confession he admits that the righteousness which he possesses is the gift of God; but because of his confidence that he is righteous, he departs from the presence of God unaccepted and ab...

HT: Reformed Memes Daily

Source I'm thankful for: Warm blankets. morning sunshine, and hot tea. Provision to replace a dead computer. Digging deep into John's Gospel during the recent theology conference. The wise counsel of friends in Christ. Upcoming sermon series on Romans 8. These verses from 1 Corinthians 15: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me...  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If i...

I'm posting at Out of the Ordinary today: God never promised His children an easy life. Jesus told his disciples "In the world you will have tribulation." ( John 16:33 ) not to mention the numerous scriptures on suffering in the Christian life. It seems easier to accept this reality when we're a bit older. We've seen more of the world and had a taste of affliction.We've learned to trust God in the hard times, grown stronger through the struggles, and endured by the grace of God. But what about our children? Read more here .

After hearing quite a bit about biblical interpretation this past week-end, my daughter made an interesting observation. "Why do mystics read into the Bible when they don't read everything else that way?" Good question, no? Can you imagine any Christian, mystic or otherwise, taking liberties with a memo from his boss, a contract with a client, or the 1040 tax form? What about an email or a handwritten letter? If my friend is writing about a walk around the lake, would I dare assume that it's an allegory for her journey through life? Ridiculous! Then why on earth do we take liberties when we read God's Word? It seems a bit arrogant and presumptuous to me. If we're willing to respect the intent of the memo, the terms of the contract, and the tax laws (perhaps grudgingly), shouldn't God's Word afford the same if not more honor? Rather than reading between the lines for some deeper, ooh-ahh meaning, maybe we should learn to read His Word for what it ...

We were blessed to hear Dr. Andreas Kostenberger speak on the Gospel of John this past week-end. As I'm pressed for time, I'm jotting down a few snippets rather than typing out my notes. - Dr. Kostenberger opened his 1st session on Saturday AM with a quote from Augustine: "The Gospel of John is shallow enough for a child not to drown but deep enough for an elephant to swim." Isn't this true? John's Gospel is usually the first book a new believer is encouraged to read yet there are depths that we will never reach. -  We need to look at John's Gospel (and really the whole Bible) from 3 perspectives: History, Literature, and Theology. Understanding the historical context, post destruction of the temple, gives insight as to why John was writing. The center of their religion was destroyed. What were they to do? John then points them to Jesus as the 2nd temple, e.g. not in this mountain or that mountain but we worship God in spirit and in truth. It was also ...