Friday Is For Fun
Archive for May, 2009
Addicted To Entertainment
John Piper explains how to fight against being addicted to entertainment here. Its worth your time!
Jesus Doesn’t Hate You
A good friend of mine got married this weekend in Mobile, Alabama at a quaint little chapel on the University of Mobile’s campus. It was a great wedding; Christ-centered, Bible saturated and somehow my friend was able to give a nod to Martin Luther!
Ephesians 5:22-33 was read, perhaps one of my favorite passages in Scripture. As verses 28-29 were being read, I heard something I had not noticed before, despite having read the passages on many occasions myself. V.28 reads: “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself (I could blog another article about that verse alone, perhaps later!). V.29 then reads: “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church.”
What I immediately said to myself was: Jesus doesn’t hate me! Though I am cranky and arrogant and self-consumed at many times, Jesus does not hate me. Though I am sinful and prideful and filled with fear and doubt, He does not hate me. Though I am not nearly as sanctified as I planned to be this far in my walk, He does not hate me.
But instead He cherishes me and nourishes me with His life-giving grace and power. And not just me, but everyone who is His! Jesus does not hate you. You don’t have to make Him like you. You don’t have to impress Him. You don’t have to earn His love. You are His Bride!
GB
Poverty Not Discipline
“A praying life isn’t simply a morning prayer time; it is about slipping into prayer at odd hours of the day, not because we are disciplined but because we are in touch with our own poverty of spirit, realizing that we cant even walk through a mall or our neighborhood without the help of the Spirit of Jesus.” (Paul Miller, A Praying Life)
A Weighty Reminder
I got this email yesterday. I must admit it awakened in me an affection to grip my life tightly around the things that matter (the Gospel, my family, the mission, Scripture) and to let go of the trivial things I hold some firmly.
Dear Gregory,Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus,
Mark Box was a student at NOBTS in 2000 and a very tender-hearted campus police officer. Mark was killed in Ghana, Africa on Friday. A propane tank exploded in his home. His wife, Kim, was not home but at work. His two boys, Sam and Chandler, escaped unharmed, but had to listen to their father dying without being able to help. Kim and the boys will be making their way back to Jacksonville and will have a service in Jax.Mark and his family were in Ghana as missionaries, but not with the IMB. They were there and raising their own funds (some through partnerships). They had just been back in the states and had raised enough money to lease a building for 2 years for the homeless. Kim worked for Wycliffe translating Scripture.This tragic information was sent to me by Jeff Box (no relation to Mark).Thank you for praying for his wife Kim, as well as his children Sam and Chandler during this difficult time.May the Lord bless you as you gaze upon His face.Living in the shadow of the cross.
Ouch…Amen!
When the size of God grips us more than the size of our churches and leadership conferences, and when we become obsessed with surrendering our lives to God’s sovereign presence, only then will we be redemptively different and serve as God’s cosmic change agents in a world yearning for change. (Unfashionable, Tullian Tchividjian)
Two Ways To Abuse Grace
I think a lot about the grace of God in my own life as a believer and what it means as I daily walk with Him. I have recently been wondering what it means to abuse the grace of God. I found at least two ways.
1. We can abuse grace by thinking the Cross is grounds for free sin
Perhaps one of the most dangerous things we can think as evangelicals is that because Christ has forgiven our sins on the Cross, that we should not concern ourselves with holy living. Have you seen this in your own life? Perhaps you sinned on Friday with full intentions of repenting on Sunday because you know God will forgive you! That is abusing grace.
You are trusting in the doctrine of security more than you are trusting in Christ. Christ died to take away sin and we died as well so that while we live, we would not live for ourselves but for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Therefore let us not sin so that grace may abound more in our lives (Romans 6:1-2), but depend on grace to resist this world and live in holiness and self-control (Titus 2:11-12).
The Cross is not grounds for free sin. The Cross is the guarantee that when we sin and then confess, God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2. We can abuse grace by thinking that we have to get ready to receive it
You might call this penance. This is not only a Roman Catholic doctrine, but a pervading mindset among Christians today. It’s the idea that in order for God to love us and pore His grace upon us, we have to first clean our lives up and perform certain religious activities. And I am talking more about Christians here than non-Christians. Our conscience haunts us and tells us that we are not good enough for God and that we are too sinful for Him to love us and therefore He is against us until we appease Him with church attendance or early morning prayer.
But what happens is that when we do those things, all we do is satisfy our conscience and drown out the nagging voice inside. We have become self-righteous and self-focused. In so doing this we have not gotten ready for grace, we have in fact resisted grace! We have refused the love and grace of God that He freely gives because of the Gospel and instead used our own power and resources to accomplish something Christ already accomplished!
This is what Paul was talking about when he said he was crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). he was not talking about being dead to sin (though he would later), but being dead to his own righteousness as a means to earn the favor of God.
Let us learn to rest in the grace of God that enables us to live holy lives, and is there for us when we dont.
GB
Happy Moms Day
Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers especially to my mom and to my wife (who just became a mother) and my mother-in-law (of which I am her favorite!)! I love you all!
GB
Follower of Jesus. Husband to Heather. Father to Cross and Rhyse. Owner of Baggins. Pastor of Metro East Baptist Church
- And I always thought you needed salt! youtu.be/NFjFptZ1wGI 4 hours ago
- The things that depress you when they fail will likely make you arrogant when they succeed. 5 hours ago
- How do we keep ourselves on fire? lifeway.com/Article/pastor… 22 hours ago
- “@mebcwichita: New Blog Post: "Oklahoma Tornado Relief Update" bit.ly/ZdAZUG” 2 days ago
- @Jonathanakin you know he died last month? I was shocked! 2 days ago
Metro East Sermon Podcast
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- The Art of Happiness May 12, 2013
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