Round Up

John Piper Infographic – Here is another infographic from Tim Challies on John Piper.

Bible Translations and Bible Reading – Many translations are extremely helpful, but none of them capture exactly what the original language depicts in the text. That is why it is so important for Christians and especially pastors to learn the original languages of Scripture (Greek and Hebrew).

Preach the Word – You wouldn’t expect to hear a pastor tell his church, “I know better than God.” And yet that’s what many preachers and leaders today communicate when they focus their ministry strategies on market research and consumer response.

Forged In Forgiveness – Erik Fitzgerald was a youth pastor in Georgia when he awoke one day to the terrible news that his wife and son had been killed in a car accident.  See the healing power of forgiveness in action.

Quote:

“We may ask, no doubt, why God does not extend his saving grace to all; and why, if he sends it to some only, he sends it to just those some to whom he sends it rather than to others. These are not wise questions to ask. We might ask why Christ raised Lazarus only of all that lay dead that day in Palestine, or in the world. No doubt reasons may suggest themselves why he raised Lazarus. But why Lazarus only? If we threw the reins on the neck of imagination, we might possibly discover reasons enough why he might well have raised others, too, with Lazarus, perhaps many others, perhaps all the dead throughout the whole world. Doubtless he had his reasons for doing on that great day precisely what he did. No doubt God has his reasons, too, for doing just what he does with his electing grace. Perhaps we may divine some of them. No doubt there are others which we do not divine. Better leave it to him, and content ourselves. facing, in the depths of our ignorance and our sin-bred lack of comprehension, these tremendous realities, with the O altitudo of Paul: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!’ Or may we not even rise to the great consenting ‘Yea!’ which Christ has taught us: ‘Yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight!’ After all, men are sinners and grace is wonderful. The marvel of marvels is not that God, in his infinite love, has not elected all of this guilty race to be saved, but that he has elected any. What really needs accounting for — though to account for it passes the powers of our extremest flights of imagination — is how the holy God could get the consent of his nature to save a single sinner.” – B. B. Warfield

Round Up

Why Don’t Christians Care That They Sin? – A great question, and an even better answer from Alistair Begg and R.C. Sproul.

Reading The Bible Like Jesus – Reading the Bible is difficult work. Or at least it can be if we intend to do more than simply read it for enjoyment or duty.

Why Aren’t Christians Leaders More Discerning? – Right now in this day, and it’s been this way for a long time through this twentieth century, THE biggest problem in the church is its inability and unwillingness to distinguish true Christians from false. It’s…it’s literally killing the church.

Expelling Worldliness With A New Affection – The love of the world and the love of the Father cannot dwell together in the same heart. But the love of the world can be driven out only by the love of the Father.

Daily Roundup

Jean-Baptiste Faure – This is a website devoted to images of galaxies, nebula, and generally, all things outer space related.

Extend the Same Grace You Preach – What can I say, I have been, and am constantly reminded that I still am, guilty of this.

Three Common Areas of Neglect – Brian Croft is writing this to pastors, but it could apply to anyone who tries to be intentional in their service to God.

Four Reasons Men Don’t Read Books – I’ll admit that I cannot relate to this article as I love to read.  It is a rare day when I don’t sit down and read, but I know that I am the exception in this regard as far as men go.

Cutting Honest Throats by Whispers – An excerpt from The Power of the Tongue by Octavius Winslow.

Soli Deo Gloria – Or to put it in English, it means essentially that everything that is done is for God’s glory to the exclusion of humankind’s self-glorification and pride.

Quote:

It is in vain to teach righteousness by precept, until Christ bestow it by free imputation, and the regeneration of the Spirit. ~John Calvin

 

Daily Reading

I’m reading Vern Poythress’ book, “Inerrancy and Worldview: Answering Modern Challenges to the Bible,” (Free PDF Download here) and read the following:

Different worldviews lead to different conceptions of freedom. If there were no God, freedom might mean freedom to create our own purposes. It might mean freedom from all constraint, which implies, in the end, freedom from the constraints of personal relationships. The ideal freedom would be to live in isolation. On the other hand, if God exists and is personal, freedom means not isolation but joy in appreciating both other human beings and God the infinite person. God’s moral order is designed by God to guide us into personal fellowship and satisfaction. It is for our good. It is for our freedom, we might say, in the true sense of “freedom.” The person who goes astray from God’s wise guidance burdens himself with sorrows and frustrations. In fact, he ends up being a slave to his own desires.

I was struck by the phrase, “…but joy in appreciating both other human beings and God the infinite person,” because I’ve noticed something over the past few weeks in my view towards those around me. I work for a Midwest construction company and if you know anything about constructions workers, they can be an interesting lot to be around if you are a Christian. In the past, my attitude was to just do what I needed to do when I was around them since I work in the IT Field and support all the computers at the jobsites and corporate offices.

But lately, I’ve found my attitude a bit different. I have actually been looking at my unsaved, unregenerate coworkers through the lens of Christ. We as human beings are created in the image of God and reflect him in varying ways and it has been interesting to look at those around me day in and day out and see that reflection. No, I don’t like some of the things I hear or the actions I observe, but like the statement above says, I am able to find joy in appreciating the fact that those around me were created in the image of God. It has definitely been interesting.