Edwards: God glorified in Man's dependence (Sermon, July 1731)

That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord (I Corinthians. 1:29, 30, 31)

Man is naturally exceeding prone to exalt himself, and depend on his own power or goodness; as though from himself he must expect happiness. He is prone to have respect to enjoyments alien from God and his Spirit, as those in which happiness is to be found.-But this doctrine should teach us to exalt God alone; as by trust and reliance, so by praise. Let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord. Hath any man hope that he is converted, and sanctified, and that his mind is endowed with true excellency and spiritual beauty? that his sins are forgiven, and he received into God's favour, and exalted to the honour and blessedness of being his child, and an heir of eternal life? let him give God all the glory; who alone makes him to differ from the worst of men in this world, or the most miserable of the damned in hell.

http://www.openheaven.com/library/pastoral/godglorified.htm

“Infinite upon infinite — Infinite upon infinite!”

"My wickedness, as I am in myself, has long appeared to me perfectly ineffable, and swallowing up all thought and imagination; like an infinite deluge, or mountains over my head. I know not how to express better what my sins appear to me to be, than by heaping infinite upon infinite, and multiplying infinite by infinite. Very often, for these many years, these expressions are in my mind and in my mouth, “Infinite upon infinite — Infinite upon infinite!” When I look into my heart, and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss, infinitely deeper than hell. And it appears to me, that were it not for free grace, exalted and raised up to the infinite height of all the fullness and glory of the great Jehovah, and the arm of his power and grace stretched forth in all the majesty of his power, and in all the glory of his sovereignty, I should appear sunk down in my sins below hell itself; far beyond the sight of every thing, but the eye of sovereign grace, that can pierce even down to such a depth. And yet, it seems to me that my conviction of sin is exceeding small and faint; it is enough to amaze me, that I have very little sense of my sinfulness. I know certainly, that I have very little sense of my sinfulness. When I have had turns of weeping for my sins, I thought I knew at the time that my repentance was nothing to my sin...

I have a much greater sense of my universal, exceeding dependence on God’s grace and strength, and mere good pleasure, of late, than I used formerly to have; and have experienced more of an abhorrence of my own righteousness. The very thought of any joy arising in me, on any consideration of my own amiableness, performances, or experiences, or any goodness of heart or life, is nauseous and detestable to me. And yet, I am greatly afflicted with a proud and self-righteous spirit, much more sensibly than I used to be formerly. I see that serpent rising and putting, forth its head continually, every where, all around me."

[personal reflections] i totally feel you right now, j. ed. 

This past week, especially, I've been feeling so spiritually hardened and lifeless, as if a dark cloud was growing steadily inside me. Sin does that. And I realize I wasn't doing much to prevent it. Reading this excerpt from Edwards, referenced in Murray's biography, allowed my heart to breath a short sigh of relief, like "Oh yeah, everything really is going to be okay, despite ...myself." As uncomfortable, anxious, and restless as I remain, I feel infinitely better that the infinitely sovereign and holy God is infinitely more powerful than my infinite sin... infinite.

"The Lamb of God"

This name did not merely mean, as some have supposed that Christ was meek and gentle as a lamb. This would be truth no doubt, but only a very small portion of the truth. There are greater things here than this! It meant that Christ was the great sacrifice for sin, who was come to make atonement for transgression by His own death upon the cross. He was the true Lamb which Abraham told Isaac at Moriah God would provide. (Genesis 22:8) He was the true Lamb of which the passover lamb in Egypt had been a vivid type. In short, He was the great propitiation for sin which God had covenanted from eternity to send into the world. He was God's Lamb.


Ryle, J. C. "John, Chapter 1." Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2007. 1-87. Print.

Can we ever give too much honour to Christ?

"...Can we ever think too highly of Him? Let us banish the unworthy thought from our minds for ever. Let us learn to exalt Him more in our hearts, and to rest more confidingly the whole weight of our souls in His hands. Men may easily fall into error about the three Persons in the holy Trinity if they do not carefully adhere to the teach of Scripture. But no man ever errs on the side of giving too much honour to God the Son. Christ is the meeting point between the Trinity and the sinner's soul "He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which sent Him. (John 5:23)" (p. 37)

Ryle, J. C. "John, Chapter 1." Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2007. 1-87. Print.

How often do we come to our Father in prayer, asking Him to reveal more of His glory and more of our indwelling sin, yet truly rejoice when He grants us these requests? Oh how Christ showed me mercy and grace, allowing me to see the sheer magnitude & destruction of my pride, a sin which I am so quick to see and judge in others, but deceptively blind to in myself. How it consumed me at that particular moment, how completely unguarded I was that it overtook me and made me blind and deaf to all else; I was engulfed by anger, bitterness, and malice for moments that lasted so long I, still in my sin, actually began to feel ashamed, yet it was as if I was trapped, unable to release myself from it, unable to extinguish the blaze. How I sinned against my fellow brother in that internal fire... Regardless of how it was set off, it was made clear I did not have it all under control, I was not as self-aware as I had thought..
As I thought back to this incident today, I was again consumed with that resentment. I pleaded with the Almighty Lord to show me mercy and release me from what I could not release myself from. Oh the deceit that lies within our hearts! Yet we sinful believers can still stand before the Lord clothed in the Lamb's righteousness because the awesome saving grace of Christ. I pray and hope and long for the days when our Lord returns to reign over the heavens and the earth, when He finally eases our sufferings against the flesh, that we may simply live every moment in holy worship & fellowship with Him!

"Personal Narrative of Jonathan Edwards" excerpt

1772 (age 19):
"My sense of divine things seemed gradually to increase, until I went to preach at New York, which was about a year and a half after they began; and while I was there, I felt them, very sensibly, in a much higher degree than I had done before. My longings after God and holiness, were much increased. Pure and humble, holy and heavenly Christianity, appeared exceeding amiable to me. I felt a burning desire to be in every thing a complete Christian; and conformed to the blessed image of Christ; and that I might live, in all things, according to the pure, sweet and blessed rules of the gospel. I had an eager thirsting after progress in these things; which put me upon pursuing and pressing after them. It was my continual strife day and night, and constant inquiry, how I should be more holy, and live more holily, and more becoming a child of God, and a disciple of Christ. I now sought an increase of grace and holiness, and a holy life, with much more earnestness, than ever I sought grace before I had it. I used to be continually examining myself, and studying and contriving for likely ways and means, how I should live holily, with far greater diligence and earnestness, than ever I pursued any thing in my life; but yet with too great a dependence on my own strength; which afterwards proved a great damage to me. My experience had not then taught me, as it has done since, my extreme feebleness and impotence, every manner of way; and the bottomless depths of secret corruption and deceit there was in my heart. However, I went on with my eager pursuit after more holiness, and conformity to Christ.

Ryle on the eternal dignity of Christ and the exceeding sinfulness of sin

As we read, reflect, and meditate on verses 1-5 of John 1...
"Let us mark what kind of Being the Redeemer of mankind must needs be, in order to provide eternal redemption for sinners. If no one less than the Eternal God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, could take away the sin of the world, sin must be a far more abominable thing in the sight of God than most men suppose. The right measure of sin's sinfulness is the dignity of Him who came into the world to save sinners. If Christ is so great, then sin must indeed be sinful!"


Ryle, J. C. "John, Chapter 1." Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2007. 1-87. Print.

Owen: Gospel v. legal priniciples on mortifying sin

"Try yourself by this also: When you are by sin driven to make a stand, so that you must either serve it and rush at the command of it into folly, like the horse into the battle, or make head against it to suppress it, what do you say to your soul? What do you expostulate (discuss earnestly) with yourself? Is this all -- "Hell will be the end of this course; vengeance will meet with me and find me out"? It is time for you to look about you; evil lies at the door [Gen 4:7]. Paul's main argument to evince that sin shall not have dominion over believers is that they "are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). If your contendings against sin be all on legal accounts, from legal principles and motive, what assurance can you attain unto that sin shall not have dominion over you, which will be your ruin? ...What gospel principles do not, legal motives cannot do."

Owen, John, Kelly M. Kapic, and Justin Taylor. "Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers." Overcoming Sin & Temptation. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006. Print.

The Holy Spirit is the Great Sovereign Cause of the Mortification of Indwelling Sin

[Chapter 3]

Other remedies are sought in vain!

"Duties are excellent food for an unhealthy soul; they are no physic (remedy, relief, medicine) for a sick soul... Spiritually sick men cannot sweat out their distemper with working"

chapterEIGHT: zeal

to be "zealous" is to be wise!

"Christ gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus ii. 14.)

"Be zealous and repent." (Rev. iii. 19.)

I. What is zeal in religion?

a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way.

This desire is so strong, when it really reigns in a man, that it impels him to make any sacrifice...if only he can please God and honour Christ.

A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies,—whether he has health, or whether he has sickness,—whether he is rich, or whether he is poor,—whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offence,—whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish,—whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise,—whether he gets honour, or whether he gets shame,—for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God's glory.

'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'

Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

(Luke 18:9-14)

9And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11"The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' 13"But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' 14"I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

i, a mere sinner, graced by the gospel of Jesus Christ...

Jonathan Edwards, 12 (A New Biography, I. Murray)

I am simply astounded by Edwards' keen discernment even at the age of 12! I am certain I could never have been able to eloquently express myself as Edwards does in his letter to his sister, 14, nor scarce to even form coherent sentences about the religious goings-on in my church.


To Miss Mary Edwards, at Hadley
Windsor. May 10, 1716.
Dear Sister
Through the wonderful mercy and goodness of God there hath in this place been a very remarkable stirring and pouring out of the Spirit of God, and likewise now is, but I think I have reason to think it is in some measure diminished but I hope not much. About thirteen have been joined to the Church in an estate of full communion. These are those which by enquiry I find you have not heard of that have joined to the Church, viz, John Huntington, Sarah Loomas the daughter of Thomas Loomas, and Esther Elsworth. And there are five that are propounded which are not added to the Church, namely, John Loomas, John Rockwell's wife, Sergt. Thomas Elsworth's wife, Isaac Bissel's wife, and Mary Osband. I think there comes commonly a Mondays above thirty persons to speak with Father about the condition of their souls.
...
Sister, I am glad to hear of your welfare. So often as I do I should be glad to hear from you by a letter and therein how it is with you as to your crookedness.
                                                                                        Your loving brother Jonathan E.
Father and Mother remember their love to you. Likewise do all my sisters and Mercy and Tim.

(Page 20, Chapter 1: The Son of East Windsor)
Murray, Iain Hamish. Jonathan Edwards: a New Biography. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1987. Print.

Lyte: Psalm 4 "Lord with Thee, my soul to keep."

Lyte, Henry Francis. The Spirit of the Psalms. 1834.

PSALM IV. 

(3rd Version)

Lord of my life, my hopes, my joys,

My never-failing Friend, 

Thou hast been all my help till now, 

O help me to the end!

While worldly minds impatient grow, 

More prosperous times to see, 

O let the glories of Thy face, 

Shine brighter, Lord, on me! 

So shall my heart o'erflow with joy, 

More lasting and more true 

Than theirs, possessed of all that they, 

So eagerly pursue. 

Then down in peace I'll lay my head, 

And take my needful rest; 

No other guard I ask or need, 

Of Thee, O Lord, possessed. 

"I awoke, for the LORD sustains me." Psalm 3:5

Lyte, Henry Francis. The Spirit of the Psalms. 1834.

PSALM III.

Thy promise, Lord, is perfect peace,

And yet my trials still increase; 

Till fears at times my soul assail, 

That Satan's rage must yet prevail. 

Then, Saviour, then I fly to Thee, 

And in Thy grace my refuge see; 

Thou heardst me from Thy holy hill, 

And Thou wilt hear and help me still. 

Beneath Thy wings secure I sleep; 

What foe can harm while Thou dost keep? 

I wake and find Thee at my side, 

My Omnipresent Guard and Guide! 

O, why should earth or hell distress, 

With God so strong, so nigh to bless? 

From Him alone salvation flows; 

On Him alone, my soul, repose!

Spurgeon on Divine Sovereignty

"Some men hate the Doctrine of Divine Sovereignty; 

but those who are called by Grace love it, for they feel, if it had not been for Sovereignty, they never would have been Saved." - Charles Spurgeon

The Blind Leading the Blind (Judging one another)

Luke 6:39-42 (also Matthew 7:3-5)

And He also spoke a parable to them:
"A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?
"A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.
"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.


oh, what hypocrites we are. like that saying, when you point your finger accusingly at someone, you dont realize you have 3 other fingers pointing back at you. how critical self-inquiry is!

Lyte: Psalm 2

Lyte, Henry Francis. The Spirit of the Psalms. 1834.

PSALM II.

(1st Version)

Why do the people rage,

Devising frantic things?

Why do the kings of earth engage,

Against the King of kings?

'Come, let us burst His yoke,' they say.

'And cast His hateful bonds away!'

God on His heavenly throne,

Laughs at their impious aims;

He made the nations for His own,

And thus His will proclaims,

'On Zion's hill My King shall sit;

Perish, ye rebels, or submit!'

Ere time its course began,

I issued My decree,

'This day, My Son, the Son of Man,

Have I begotten Thee.

To Thee the world and all that live,

Thy blood-bought heritage, I give!' 

Hear, then, ye monarchs, hear!

Ye great, a greater own!

Bow down with holy joy and fear,

Before Messiah's throne! 

Upon Him life and death depend; 

O blest who find in Christ a friend!

The Magnificat

[Luke 1:46-55]


46 And Mary said:

"My soul [fn33] exalts the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 "For He has had regard for the humble state of His [fn34] bondslave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

49 "For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 "AND HIS MERCY IS [fn35] UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION

TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

51 "He has done [fn36] mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the [fn37] thoughts of their heart.

52 "He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has exalted those who were humble.

53 "HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;

And sent away the rich empty-handed.

54 "He has given help to Israel His servant,

[fn38] In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his [fn39] descendants forever."

http://www.blueletterbible.org/tools/printerFriendly.cfm?b=Luk&c=1&t=NASBP&x=14&y=12

O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

by Charles Wesley, 1739

O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim,

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,

That bids our sorrows cease;

’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,

’Tis life, and health, and peace.

Let us live for eternity!

[Ryle]
"Oh, that men and women would learn to live with an awareness that one day they are going to die! Truly it is waste of time to set our hearts on a dying world and its short-lived comforts and pleasures, and for the sake of momentary pleasures to lose a glorious eternity in Heaven! Here we are striving, laboring, exhausting ourselves about little things, and running here and there like ants on an anthill and yet after a few years we will all be gone, and another generation will take our place. Let us live for eternity. Let us seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness that can never be taken from us."

http://jcrylequotes.com/2010/10/04/let-us-live-for-eternity/

Ryle, J. C. "Riches and Poverty." 2009. Practical Religion. Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1998. 322. Print.

Lyte: Psalm 1

Lyte, Henry Francis. The Spirit of the Psalms. 1834.

PSALM I.

(3rd Version)

Uphold me, Lord, too prone to stray,

Uphold me in Thy narrow way ;

From sin and sorrow bid me flee,

And turn from all who turn from Thee.

The cloud and pillar of Thy Word,

My comfort be, my guide, O Lord ;

By day, by night, at hand to bless,

And lead me through the wilderness!

So shall I flourish like a tree,

Planted, and watched, and nursed by Thee,

With streams of grace around its roots,

And bending low with holy fruits.

So shall I go from light to light,

Till prayer is praise, and faith is sight ;

And while the sinner's doom I see,

Adore the grace that rescued me!

Mercy

Abortion survivor Gianna Jessen:
"Don't you realize you cannot make your own heart beat...
The mercy of God sustains you, even when you hate Him."

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=158348990848143

Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God:"
'Tis nothing but the Hand of Mercy, and of God's mere Will,
that holds the justice of God back from dropping every one of us into hell at this moment.

APOLOGETICS training by Dr. G. Bahnsen - IV. Defending the Faith

Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen - Basic Training for Defending the Faith.
IV. Defending the Faith

http://www.youtube.com/user/gregbahnsen#p/c/7890E27BD276631E/0/mkPv6Zr1AVI

What do we do when 2 worldviews come into opposition??

(Proverbs 26:4-5)

Immediately, the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

Mark 9:24

Macarthur Study Bible commentary:

"Admitting the imperfection of his faith, mixed as it was with doubt, the desperate father pleaded with Jesus to help him to have the greater faith the Lord demanded of him."

i'm constantly made aware of the imperfection of my faith juxtaposed with the gravity of my sin. 

this simple cry of repentance and earnest appeal to the Lord is an awesome prayer for times of uncertainty.

chapterSEVEN: charity (love)

[Ryle]

the Queen of Christian graces!

"Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Abide with Me

Hymn written by Henry F. Lyte, 1847

Scripture: Luke 24:29

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;

Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;

Change and decay in all around I see—

O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour;

What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?

Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;

Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

APOLOGETICS training by Dr. G. Bahnsen - III. Worldviews in Conflict

Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen - Basic Training for Defending the Faith.
Worldviews in Conflict
http://www.youtube.com/user/gregbahnsen#grid/user/05D136E41B80F9F0

There exists an anti-thesis (opposition; contrast) between God and the world:

"...you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds..." --Colossians 1:21

"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." --James 4:4

In principle, unbelievers will think and behave in a systematically different way than believers do.

But of course we see commonalities in the ways unbelievers and believers say or do things... why? 

The unbeliever must ask the question:

Which worldview comports with what is being said and done where we see outward conformity and agreement between the unbeliever and the believer?

The key to defending the Christian faith:

The all surpassing peace of God

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Philippians 4:4-7

Mortification of Sin: daily work

Do you mortify; 

do you make it your daily work; 

be always at it while you live; 

cease not a day from this work; 

be killing sin or it will be killing you.

chapterSIX: Going to the Table

"Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." 1 Corinthians 6:28

Ryle writes about the sobering truths in the taking of Communion which so many of us today do not fully understand, misinterpret, and take for granted.

The Necessity of Mortification of Sin in Believers: the foundation

The Foundation of Mortification

Romans 8:13

"If you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you shall live."

The Conditionality: A Certain Connection

There is a certain infallible connection and coherence

between true mortification and eternal life.

The Persons: Believers

The choicest believers, 

who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, 

ought yet to make it their business all their days 

to mortify the indwelling power of sin.

The Cause and Means: The Holy Spirit

Mortification from a self-strength, 

carried on by ways of self-invention, 

unto the end of a self-righteousness

is the soul and substance of all false religions in the world.

The Duty: Mortify the Deeds of the Body

The mortification of indwelling sin remaining in our mortal bodies,
that it may not have life and power
to bring forth the works or deeds of the flesh,
is the constant duty of believers.

The Promise: You Shall Live

The vigor, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life 

depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.

--Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers by John Owen

ruminating...

lately i've found myself ruminating over some issues that ultimately exposed my lack of dependence on the saving Word of God. i've found myself pondering concepts discussed in "The Good Christian Girl." in a decade, am i going to end up as just an admin assistant and just super unmotivated because people told me pursuit of higher education or being a career woman was unBiblical? at the age of 35, am i going to still be single and living at home because people told me to pursue singleness and not set my hopes on marriage? 
generally, have i submitted certain aspects of my life to the words of man over the Word of God? and then i realized, i was becoming dependent on the words of man rather than running to my Bible first for guidance. i've been feeling fatigued from tossing around all these questions of worry and doubt, of life decisions and career choices...feeling really dejected, lost, unmotivated...

yet J.C. Ryle puts it so plainly:
"There is only one answer to all these questions. A man must make his Bible the rule of conduct. He must make its leading principles the compass by which he steers his course through life. By the letter or spirit of the Bible he must test every difficult point and question. "To the law and to the testimony! What saith the Scripture?" He ought to care nothing for what other people may think right. He ought not to set his watch by the clock of his neighbour, but by the sun-dial of the Word."

people are good resources, but the Word of God is really all we need, beyond sufficient, something we can trust in and set our hopes on.. and it'll never lead us in the wrong direction

you know what's sad?
when your non-Christian friends are way more understanding, gentle, compassionate, and forgiving than your fellow brethern in Christ. that can't be right.

chapterFIVE: bible-reading

Praying = most important in practical religion
Bible-reading = nothing more important, except praying

Happy is that man who possesses a Bible!
Happier still is he who reads it !
Happiest of all is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it the rule of his faith and practice.

to have the Bible is one thing, and to read it quite another.

8 reasons why you should value the Bible highly, study it regularly, and make yourself thoroughly acquainted with its contents:

to think that the state of our souls was once like the miserable state of a cockroach flailing its legs helplessly on its back...

"Totally disgusting and totally helpless. What a picture of us in our sin, when Christ died for us."

amazing grace.

"on Christ the Solid Rock i stand...

... all other ground is sinking sand!"

thinking back to yesterday's visit to the g-parents' house and my uncle's lovely, drunken monologue on my deadbeat life ... mmm, what a motivational speaker he is.

and then...
parents: you don't have to follow your church people around all the time! your uncle's offering you a job opportunity in napa! it's nice there, wine country.
me: what's wrong with wanting to stay at a good church?! [didn't even wanna address the wine country part]
uncle: hey, i think she's being influenced too much by Christianity!

well then, praise God. as i once again begin sending job apps into the abyss, may he tame my anxious soul, that i may wait patiently on His grace, His timing, His sovereignty. may i live and work for His glory alone, lest it all be in vain...lest it all be on sinking sand.

Lordship Salvation, summarized in the most awesome way possible

“He that does not receive the gospel with all its difficulties, does not receive it as it is proposed to him. He that does not receive Christ with his cross as well as his crown, does not truly receive him at all. It is true that Christ invites us to come to him to find rest, and to buy wine and milk: but then he also invites us to come and take up the cross, and that daily, that we may follow him; and if we come only to accept the former, we do not in truth accept the offer of the gospel, for both go together, the rest and the yoke, the cross and the crown: and it will signify nothing, that, in accepting only the one, we accept what God never offered to us. They that receive only the easy part of Christianity, and not the difficult, at best are but almost Christians; while they that are wholly Christians receive the whole of Christianity, and thus shall be accepted and honoured, and not cast out with shame, at the last day.”

Jonathan Edwards, Charity and its Fruits

http://www.puritanbookclub.com/?p=556

The Godly woman v. the pagan woman *ding ding!*

Ladies, Does How You Dress Cause Men to Lust?

Sermon excerpt: by Al Martin, illbehonest.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W1s7u0YiAU

"Does how you dress honor God? Does how you dress cause men to stumble and lust? I pray this message will awaken some of you ladies consciences to the errors in your dress that is causing some of the little ones of the Lord to stumble."

Are you marked by decided modesty & distinctive femininity, or have you been sucked into the modern culture of sex?

APOLOGETICS training by Dr. G. Bahnsen - II. Introduction to Worldviews

Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen - Basic Training for Defending the Faith.
Introduction to Worldviews

http://www.youtube.com/user/gregbahnsen#g/c/8D9DDE0EDF62EF4A

The believer and the unbeliever have conflicting worldviews/outlooks.

Worldview: a network of pre-suppositions which are not tested by natural science, in terms of which all experiences are related and interpreted
- Determines what a person believes and how he/her lives his/her life
- By which the particulars of life are related and made conclusive
(Taking things for granted... pre-suppositions, preconditions)

If you are committed to Christ at ANY particular point in your life, then you need to be commited to Christ at EVERY point in your life.
...you should have a distinct way of looking at everything through the Christian "worldview," because it IS the basic, fundamental worldview; not a narrow worldview

3 major divisions of philosophy

APOLOGETICS training by Dr. G. Bahnsen - I. The Myth of Neutrality

Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen - Basic Training for Defending the Faith.

The Myth of Neutrality
http://www.youtube.com/user/gregbahnsen#grid/user/84D83E778C15438F


In order to pull down any antagonistic reasoning, you must start thinking consistently, principally, and unwaveringly as a Christian.

chapterFOUR: prayer

[personal] A week after a nice Memorial Day weekend in the mountains, I've really let myself go in discipline and have already felt the heavy weight of sin accumulating in my soul. The day we returned to life as we know it, I wrote a sobering quote from Ryle's chapter on prayer on my bedroom mirror: "Prayer will consume sin, or sin will choke prayer." May I be fervent in holy desires and faithfulness in God's awesome sovereignty.

[Ryle]
Prayer: the MOST IMPORTANT subject in practical religion

adultery

when you experience that momentary, deep melancholy of what it feels like to be cast aside by the world, even your friends, that's when you truly realize your treacherous adultery against the one true redeeming God and your utter lack of faith and contentment in Christ and His pure and perfect love.

how i suffered from bitterness and jealousy today. it was particularly hard to deal with this time, because i think the Holy Spirit truly exposed my sin; took it out of myself and put it on a platter in front of me in its true disgusting state so i couldn't deny it or rationalize it away. like a mucousy, pungent goop of Bitterness and a vomit green, curdled pile of Jealousy presented against a shining, untarnished platter of silver. just plain nasty.
had i been a servant of any other master, i would've been struck down on the spot for producing such vile fruit. but praise the Lord Christ Jesus forgives a repentant heart, no matter how wretched! there's no shame in saying it: i love my God because He loved me first.

chapterTHREE: reality

 [Ryle]
Let us mind that our religion is real.
He proposes 2 main things in this chapter:
1. The importance of reality in religion
2. Some tests by which we may prove our religion is real
And gives some applications of the topic to our lives

chapterTWO: self-exertion

[personal thoughts] I have encountered a rather surprising realization. Some people are avoiding me because they know I'm a Christian. That's weird. I guess I've never felt the direct impact of such a thing, maybe because it was never as obvious an avoidance as it is now; maybe I just wasn't reflecting God in my life prior. It saddens me because some of these people profess Christ, but clearly do not strive after the Lord--more like the opposite. Don't get me wrong, I myself am not a worthy follower of Christ; my thoughts, words, and actions are all tainted with sin. All I can do is rely on His grace and lovingkindness to guide me.
It's just sad to see people so in love with the world and so disgusted with God. They profess Christ yet reject His Truth! Do they truly believe they are saved? Just pray that their souls may be deeply affected by the gospel and the Holy Spirit. May Christ reveal their sin and adultery toward God, and truly transform their hearts. May Christ reveal my sin and give me a bold yet humble and gentle heart to minister to those around me.

[Ryle]

Theme verse of this chapter: Luke 13:24

"Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." 

praying badly

Read a good article posted by a friend
How to Pray Badly - Challies Dot Com - Informing the Reforming

6 warnings from Scripture on why God may not heed our prayer (personal notes in category descriptions)

chapterONE: self-inquiry

J.C. Ryle's Practical Religion: "the daily duties, experience, dangers, and privileges of professing Christians." (1878)
I first heard about this book after a friend sent me a chapter excerpt that addressed worldliness, an issue that was weighing heavily on my heart at the time. I was struggling with a decision that was clearly black and white, and required of me a choice between my unbelieving friends and my Lord and Savior. Like I said, black and white right? But nonetheless, with a selfish heart, I was reluctant to make the choice due to my fear of man and loyalty to worldly friends. Foolish girl.

Ryle proposes 10 essential questions for self-reflection and our stance in matters between us and God...

a new book, a new web journal

I really wanted to keep notes as I read through J.C. Ryle's "Practical Religion." Thus, a new book, a new web journal. Before starting this up, I revisited my last blog. Not many entires there (six total). It was actually supposed to be a new blog for the 'new' life I was starting upon returning home in September 2009. How much I've changed since my last post... and it's only been about 5 months! Looking (not so far) back on the entires, I am glad I can nor longer identify much with my old thoughts. I am sooo overjoyed and grateful for the ways the Lord has been changing my heart and my thoughts since then. My new church, Cornerstone Bible Church (shout out!) has really been a blessing in my life. The past few years God has been purposefully placing me in the way of godly people and churches that really magnify His Word, regardless of whether I want or ask for it, and it has saved my soul from being totally lost in my own depravity. Again on my favorite quotes comes to mind ... "a monument to the unlimited patience of Jesus Christ." I love it because it is so true.