Tried With Fire

I will give you the sure mercies of David. (Acts 13:34) Nothing of man is sure; but everything of God is so. Especially are covenant mercies sure mercies, even as David said "an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure." We are sure that the Lord meant His mercy. He did not speak mere words: there is substance and truth in every one of His promises. His mercies are mercies indeed. Even if a promise seems as if it must drop through by reason of death, yet it never shall, for the good Lord will make good His word. We are sure that the Lord will bestow promised mercies on all His covenanted ones. They shall come in due course to all the chosen of the Lord. They are sure to all the seed, from the least of them unto the greatest of them. We are sure that the Lord will continue His mercies to His own people. He does not give and take. What He has granted us is the token of much more. That which we have not yet received is as sure as that which has already com...

I am thankful for: God's protection. I was working at my computer Monday afternoon and heard a strange sound in the backyard. I looked out the window and saw this. The tree from which this branch fell is one of three sweet gums right next to the house. When I looked up, I could see where the branch snapped off. It must have come straight down but the weight tipped it away. This is at least the 4th time that branches have come down near the house but not on it. God's preservation of his Word and the work of Bible translation. I had a chance to visit the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC with friends from church this week. There's so much to see in the museum that I need to go back. Five hours wasn't enough. One gallery was devoted to the history of the Bible in terms of its physical preservation, propagation, translation, and publishing to the present day. It was fascinating to see the manuscripts in ancient languages from ancient cultures and how the Bible ha...

Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28) This is our hope. He to whom we have already looked as coming once to bear the sins of many will have another manifestation to the sons of men; this is a happy prospect in itself. But that second appearing has certain peculiar marks which glorify it exceedingly. Our Lord will have ended the business of sin. He has so taken it away from His people and so effectually borne its penalty that He will have nothing to do with it at His second coming. He will present no sin offering, for He will have utterly put sin away. Our Lord will then complete the salvation of His people. They will be finally and perfectly saved and will in every respect enjoy the fullness of that salvation. He comes not to bear the result of our transgressions but to bring the result of His obedience; not to remove our condemnation but to perfect our salvation. Our Lord thus appears only to those who look for Him. ...

It's been a while since I have done one of these posts, and it is long overdue. Tomorrow, Lord willing, my daughter will be defending her master's thesis in physics. This marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next as she will begin her PhD studies in the fall.  Based on the number of pages written and the hours spent, she has earned this degree. But as proud as I am of her academic achievement, I am thankful for how the Lord has grown her in her faith and her humanity. He's done a lot of healing in her life and will continue to bring her on to greater wholeness, I believe. I'm also thankful for her professors who have been mentors and friends and for their encouragement that has been above and beyond the call of duty. I'm thankful for the gift of prayer and being able to pray with the brothers and sisters in small group last night. Some good news was shared but also some very sad and heavy circumstances. We need one another for help, suppor...

For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 39:18) Behold the protecting power of trust in God. The great men of Jerusalem fell by the sword, but poor Ebed-melech was secure, for his confidence was in Jehovah. Where else should a man trust but in his Maker? We are foolish when we prefer the creature to the Creator. Oh, that we could in all things live by faith, then should we be delivered in all time of danger! No one ever did trust in the Lord in vain, and no one ever shall. The Lord saith, "I will surely deliver thee," Mark the divine "surely." Whatever else may be uncertain, God's care of believers is sure. God Himself is the guardian of the gracious, Under His sacred wing there is safety even when every danger is abroad. Can we accept this promise as sure? Then in our present emergency we shall find that it stands fast. We ...

I've been juggling a lot of books this summer. I've been making more of an effort to set aside reading time rather than snippets here and there, which has helped me work through the stacks sitting by my bed. I still love audiobooks, and I try to squeeze in listening time whenever I can. So here's what I've been reading: I finished A Fiery Gospel: The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Road to Righteous War by Richard M. Gamble.  Some of my friends were disappointed to learn of the non-Christian, Unitarian origins of the song. I don't relish being the bearer of bad news. Honestly. I really don't want to be like Mikey in the Life Cereal commercial who hates everything, but to paraphrase Hannah Anderson, we need to pursue the truth no matter who it implicates. And to paraphrase Dr. Gamble, history is not obligated to make us feel good about ourselves. To continue the theme of civil religion in America, I was able to borrow Dr. Gamble's 2nd book, The War for...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Of all the stars in the sky, the polestar is the most useful to the mariner. This text is a polestar, for it has guided more souls to salvation than any other Scripture. It is among promises what the Great Bear is among constellations. Several words in it shine with peculiar brilliance. Here we have God's love with a "so" to it, which marks its measureless greatness. Then we have God's gift in all its freeness and greatness. This also is God's Son, that unique and priceless gift of a love which could never fully show itself till heaven's Only-begotten had been sent to live and die for men. These three points are full of light. Then there is the simple requirement of believing, which graciously points to a way of salvation suitable for guilty men. This is backed by a wide description—"whosoever believ...