Being watchful

C. H. Spurgeon
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"Blessed is he that watcheth."—Revelation 16:15.
"We die daily," said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands. We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though outwardly not so terrible, are yet more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age.

We have to bear the sneer of the world—that is little; its blandishments, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy, are far worse. Our danger is lest we grow rich and become proud, lest we give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world, and lose our faith. Or if wealth be not the trial, worldly care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, if we may be hugged to death by the bear, the devil little cares which it is, so long as he destroys our love to Christ, and our confidence in Him.
I fear me that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days than in those rougher times. We must be awake now, for we traverse the enchanted ground, and are most likely to fall asleep to our own undoing, unless our faith in Jesus be a reality, and our love to Jesus a vehement flame. Many in these days of easy profession are likely to prove tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with fair masks on their faces, but not the true-born children of the living God.

Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or with holy ardour; you need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display His omnipotence in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things, as well as in the rougher, "We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

Help me be watchful and disciplined and steadfast in seeking after you and you alone!

My Before and After

Such a sweet song that beautifully describes the gospel - sinful man separated from Holy, loving, just God. Jesus solves the problem of separation with his life, death, and resurrection on the cross (and all by God's plan and unbelievably wonderful grace). And our response to this incredible gift - "stepp[ing] out of the tomb," we turn from searching for satisfaction in temporary stuff to following Jesus and finding eternal satisfaction now.



Before and After - Jimmy Needham

I said you gotta leave, You gotta promise me
It's the begging of my end, You gotta promise me
How can a Holy God renew a wicked Pharisee
I'm saying I'm like Peter in the boat so just depart from me
It seems I'm destined for doom like ancient prophecy
And in the dark I'm consumed, it's just too much for me
With sin in full bloom, my gloom booms by the full moon
And I'm thinking to myself "how can you rescue me?"

My before and after
I can't but sing
My before and after
I'll sing praises to my King
My before and after
Here's the anthem, let it ring
One love, two arms, three scars
Draw us to where You are
No one is too far for You to save a heart

Then in the darkness of this room You snuck up next to me
You put Your hand upon my wound and whispered "rest in Me"
And there I stepped out of the tomb and into destiny
The rest they say is history
Your grace is such a mystery

My before and after
I can't but sing
My before and after
I'll sing praises to my King
My before and after
Here's the anthem, let it ring
One love, two arms, three scars
Draw us to where You are
No one is too far for You to save a heart

I got a name change
And that's the strange thing
'Cause I was once stained
But now I'm called saint

Joy and Sorrow

Matt Chandler -
"Sometimes God will break your fingers to get your hand off of what will harm you."

JI Packer -
"And still he seeks the fellowship of his people and will send them both joy and sorrow to detach their hands from the things of this world and attach them to himself."

Follow up from Sunday's message about the Sabbath at UBC.

All I Know

All I Know
Matt Wertz

I don't know how the stars hang
Or how there's night and then there's day
I don't know how you spoke into the black
And made it all obey

All I know is the bleeding in my heart
And the healing in your touch
All I know is that you gave everything
So let that be enough
'Cause it's all I know

I dont know how your love works
How you cover me in grace
I dont know how you swallow all I am
When I can't stand my taste

All I know is the bleeding in my heart
And the healing in your touch
All I know is that you gave everything
So let that be enough
'Cause it's all I know

I can't explain your mystery
But I know the answer

All I know is the bleeding in my heart
And the healing in your touch
All I know is that you gave everything
So let that be enough
'Cause it's all I know

That's all I want to know. All I want to be focused on: "that you gave everything" and I'm covered by your grace and held in your hand God. "So let that be enough," remind me how infinitely beyond sufficient you are! In a time as busy and emotional as this, you are the source of everything (anything) good and in complete control of everything. "I can't explain your mystery/But I know the answer:" the Cross.

Amos 1-4

God detests Israel's sin and is very clear that he will enact judgment because of it. Because they are his people. There is no special pardon for them simply because they are the people God has chosen. Therefore, God is still righteous and just, holding all of humanity to the same standard (his perfection).

People group: Arabs in Yemen. Poverty. No Bible. A few believers.

Do all things without grumbling...

Philippians 2: 12-15

¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. ¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe...

One way to make the gospel beautiful is to "do everything without complaining or arguing." And I living this way is simply being obedient to God's word. It is cool that in this command we can see why God might call us to do this (i.e. to put the gospel on display to a lost world). It also gives us insight into the world around us. It is "crooked and depraved," and we are called to be "blameless and pure." We are called to image God's holiness rather than the lostness of the world.

So this is my challenge this week; to do all things without complaining or arguing (ESV - grumbling of questioning). The only way I can do this is with divine strength, meaning it is only possible (and entirely possible) because I've been saved by the blood of the Lamb.

One month left

There is one month left of the school year.
Four weeks of classes before finals, four weeks of being a college senior...and I could go on and on and wallow in the numerous "last things" that will fill the coming weeks.
But in the end of that train of thought, I'm still sitting here with projects and reports and readings and presentations to work on. That train of thought (self pity) is so tempting; I would be lying if I said it wasn't. BUT, I have been reminded of the greater purpose behind school: glorifying Christ and keeping my focus on the cross. No matter what I have to do or what the next few weeks hold, my purpose doesn't ultimately change because Christ doesn't change. My biggest challenge/goal is not making a grade or finishing a paper; it is loving God and honoring people (to paraphrase Piper)- being a light to those around me because of what Christ has done in saving me.
Because that is the overarching purpose in my life, I know that no matter how busy the next few weeks are, how hard the good-byes are, I am safe in the arms of my Savior.