The Power of God

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence - 2 Peter 1:3

Outside of heaven, the power of God in its highest density is found inside the gospel. . . Nothing else in all of Scripture is ever described in this way, except for the Person of Jesus Christ. - Milton Vincent in A Gospel Primer

I want to make the gospel of Jesus Christ my go to place and camp out there. He has all I need for life and godliness. He will help me battle my sin, humble my proud heart, walk in obedience, love others, and find great joy in learning to know him more in my days. I have the very power of God to take with me into my day - how incredible is that?!

Who has felt the nails upon His hands

Bearing all the guilt of sinful man

God eternal humbled to the grave

Jesus, Savior risen now to reign!

Behold our God seated on His throne

Come let us adore Him

Behold our King nothing can compare

Come let us adore Him!

Behold Our God

(c) Sovereign Grace Worship 2011

Mighty to Save

Milton Vincent, in The Gospel Primer:

But wonder of wonders, so great to behold,

My God chose to save me with method so bold,

What I could not render, God fully has done,

And doing, He rendered it all through His Son.

He sent Christ to die on the cross for my sin

To suffer my anguish, my pardon to win

...The Firstborn from death on that day emerged He

With power to save to the utmost degree

...And each day I'm made a bit more as I should,

His grace using all things to render me good.

Yes, even in trials God's grace abounds too

And does me the good He assigns it to do

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. 

- Psalm 29:1-2

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? - Romans 8:32

Do I doubt that the power and wisdom of God is at work in my life? Then I need to look to where it is displayed most clearly, and  hope in the God of my salvation, in whom I have all I could ever need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

photo: fortress in Salzburg, Austria 2007

Tea Party

I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."

- Psalm 16:2

This afternoon I hosted a little tea party for some of my young girl friends after church. We had a good time, enjoying each other. Below is some video and still footage (although the video has to be low quality to upload, it seems).

"Indeed, for such blessings He should be adored and honored supremely as eminent Lord."

Milton Vincent; A Gospel Primer

gospel boldness

Understanding that I am not the ultimate end of the gospel, but rather that God's glory is, actually enables me to embrace my salvation more boldly than I would otherwise dare to do. -Milton Vincent

photo: Venice, Italy 2007

Loving My Brothers and Sisters

The more I experience the gospel, the more there develops within me a yearning affection for my fellow-Christians who are also participating in the glories of the gospel. This affection for them comes loaded with confidence in their continued spiritual growth and ultimate glorification, and it becomes my pleasure to express to them this loving confidence regarding the ongoing work of God in their lives. (A Gospel Primer; Philippians 1:3-8)

I am amazed that God would allow me to observe his work in those around me, humbled that he would even use me in their growth, thankful that he also gives them to grow me, and in awe of how he works through his gospel to grow me in my love first for him and then for others. I thank the Father for the family of God, for Crossway Church, and for my family. And I joyfully anticipate seeing the gospel break through in new ways to those who have yet to receive his salvation and in deepening ways to those who are already saved. When sin and circumstance seem ultimate and without hope, replace my logic of unbelief with faith, O Lord, to see your gospel as powerfully unstoppable for working out your purposes in me and those around me.

photo: Conestoga River & Margaret, 2010

Perspective in Trials

I read this in the Gospel Primer earlier this week and shared it with a friend. I know I must have also read it a couple of years ago or something like that. But since that time I've had some (just a very little, really) experiences of suffering and trials that allowed my heart to shout amen to the reality of how richly God does work his gospel purposes in us during those times. And it comforts me to know that he will be faithful to do so again and again, whether I must face significant trials in my unknown future or even small ones in my more known and immediate future. Whether it's struggling with aches and pains in my back and neck tonight, or facing the biggest loss I can imagine down the road, I can know the peace and comfort that comes in knowing Christ through the gospel.

Perspective in Trials

More than anything else could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials. The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ.

Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for intelligent rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace them as friends and allow them to do God's good work in me.

It is an amazing evidence of the Spirit's work that would bring someone to genuinely say, "I do indeed embrace trials and suffering as friends who do God's good work in me." Maybe not all trials and not all of the time, but it's miraculous nonetheless that my heart could ever be thankful for difficulty.

photo: Lubeck, Germany 2007

Joy in knowing Christ

My friend Teresa was kind and thoughtful to give me a copy of an article from an old Sovereign Grace magazine, which is an excerpt from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure. The article is called To Know Joy, and I read it in the waiting room for my chiropractor appointment on Wednesday. Below I am quoting the last paragraph. I love this truth so much - I love when God feeds our minds with truth and softens our hearts to love him more.

Finally, let me put it in this way: "Do you want to know supreme joy, do you want to experience a happiness that eludes description? There is only one thing to do, really seek him, seek him himself, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. If you find out your feelings are depressed do not sit down and commiserate with yourself, do not try to work something up but - this is the simple essence of it - go directly to him and seek his face, as the little child who is miserable and unhappy because somebody else has taken or broken his toy, runs to its father or its mother. So if you and I find ourselves afflicted by this condition, there is only one thing to do, it is to go to him. If you seek the Lord Jesus Christ and find him there is not need to worry about your happiness and your joy. He is our joy and our happiness, even as he is our peace. He is life, he is everything. So avoid the incitements and the temptations of Satan to give feelings this great prominence of the centre. Put at the centre the only One who has a right to be there, the Lord of Glory, Who so loved you that he went to the Cross and bore the punishment and the shame of your sins and died for you. Seek him, seek his face, and all other things shall be added unto you (emphasis added).

And because of the all encompassing reach of the gospel, I can have joy in any given moment.

On my worst days of sin and failure, the gospel encourages me with God's unrelenting grace toward me. On my best days of victory and usefulness, the gospel keeps me relating to God solely on the basis of Jesus' righteousness and not mine. - Milton Vincent; A Gospel Primer

photo: Tuscany, Italy 2007

vacation

Ever struggle to trust God because you are going on vacation for a week? yeah, me too. This coming week is the first time I'll be away from the office for that long since I started working over a year ago. And yesterday it was a particular struggle to not be anxious about all the things left undone and all the potential build up that will happen while I am gone. I think it uncovers a reality that I do not completely trust God in my work when I am doing it. So it is good to step back and see that my work really is not about me and my efforts, but God. He will handle things when I'm gone and be my strength and helper when I return, no matter how overwhelming a flooded email inbox or office bin is. This life is all about my Lord, and vacation can be a good reminder of that.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. - Colossians 1:15-20.

I am looking forward to enjoying this week and praising God for his many blessings. I get to celebrate the wedding of two good friends today, which my brother is in; sit under God's Word, worship, fellowship at a picnic, and just enjoy my church family tomorrow; and soak in some long awaited time focused on my family for an entire week. "Indeed, for such blessings He should be adored and honored supremely as eminent Lord" (Milton Vincent; A Gospel Primer).

photo: Vernazza, Italy 2007