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

Psalm 63:1-4

Oh God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands.

photo: Potter County, PA 2008

the beauty of old age

I thank God for the example I have in my grandparents. I am blessed not only that they are around and involved in my life, but even more by the example they set for me in so many ways. In particular, I have been recently struck by the grace of God I see in old age. His faithfulness shines forth. I'd strongly encourage others to seek out an older saint, no only the ones who are just a few steps ahead of you in years or life seasons, but those who really are near the ending years of their lives.

I am in awe of the work God is doing in my grandparents, my grandpa Landis in particular, as they increasingly experience more limitations and the reality of a deteriorating body. I see my own limitations and struggles, and then I look to see what my grandpa has daily in front of him. I am built in my faith to see that God uses old age not to foster a bitter, resentful, or complaining spirit, but that He instead is faithful to work into him a content dependance on God. I do not know my grandpa as a grumpy, bitter old man, but as one who has a steady persevering spirit (and an incredible sense of humor!). Sure it's hard. My grandpa was blessed with many many years of a healthy body and all-around-fix-it man abilities. He helped and served others in multiple ways. Now his productivity has been significantly hampered. And what a difficult transition that is, to have a heart and desire to do the things you once did but no longer be able to do them. It is different from the struggle to be content with things that have not yet come into your life. This is harder in many ways because you HAVE experienced much and know what you are missing. What gets you through and upholds you then, when you're near the end of life? Well, if you are like my grandparents and have known Jesus Christ as your Savior, old age is a revealing test that your life has been built upon the Unchanging Rock. When it is built on a relationship with God, that cannot be taken from you in your old age. The refining fire of old age, like other trials in life, is a servant of God used to fashion us into the image of his Son and draw our hearts to love him more. Fire may burn, but it refines into beautiful gold. The tugging, stretching, molding, hammering, burning, pruning, chiseling, and hard work of sanctification in this life is creating in us a beauty like Christ's, and will all be completely worth it when we get to see him in glory!

Be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" - Hebrews 13:5-6

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord. - Job 1:21

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

photo: my 23rd birthday; Feb. 2010

Progress

Yes, Christian, although in your daily course

you seem to struggle in your duty,

and though nothing seems to go on satisfactorily,

be assured of this,

so long as you are really looking to Christ

and relying upon Him -

so long is He working in you by His Spirit -

however difficult may be your tasks,

you will make progress.

You perhaps may never perceive it -

you may not appear to make a step in advance -

but, be not discouraged.

Remember,

'All the promises of God in Christ are yes,

and in him Amen, unto the glory of God;'

and these promises are yours.

-John MacDuff, The Throne of Grace

(thanks to my friend Sara)

photo: Mya R, 2010

truth, emotion, and relationship

My Savior My God

by Aaron Shust

My Savior loves, My Savior lives

My Savior's always there for me

My God: He was, my God; He is

My God is always gonna be

Those chorus lyrics brought tears to my eyes while driving yesterday evening, which is not difficult to do these days (or multiple times a day). My last post served me well to re-read during this week. I'm finding it to be so evident that truth and emotion struggle to find their places in me. My heart is prone to wander, and God is so faithful to bring truth to bear in my spirit and realign me, gently or bluntly.

I just read an article by Ed Welsh called Strong Emotions; Extreme Confidence. And his last paragraphs are particularly helpful:

Okay, slow down. I am a creature, not the creator. I am part of a larger body and I need the larger body. I don't have all wisdom and knowledge in myself. When there is a difference of opinion between my feelings and what God says, God's word wins. I gladly submit to him. When there is a difference of opinion between my feelings and what many wise counselors have said to me, I submit to the wisdom of the community.

Yes, this is all true, and it sounds good on paper. But right now my emotions are not raging in any particular direction. The good news is that I can practice humility today. I can listen to God - really listen. I can consider the interests of others as more important than my own. That will prepare me for the times when my strong feelings don't tell me the whole story.

speaking of blunt (a bit earlier), here's a blunt transition...

I love relating with people. I love doing this daily and weekly. I operate better around people. My mind thrives when engaged together with another mind, and tends to stagnate when isolated to turn it's own wheels. I struggle with and sometimes am smothered by the monotony and loneliness that daily life can sometime be. But that really is a good portion of what my life is and probably often will be. And God uses this to grow my awareness of my dependance on him for every relational need - practical, complex, spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and on and on. He uses this to reveal himself as all sufficient.

Who am I that he should reveal himself and his truth to me, as well as allow me to partake in his work (in others or even in myself)? This is humbling and awe producing work He is about - work that springs forth the praise of his glory, and his alone.

P.S. HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER MARGARET! I love you dear. :)

photo: Jared & Rebekah's wedding, 2010

Daily in Debt to Grace

Today I listened to a message given at the Worship God 06 conference by Mark Mitchell called Sanctification through Serving. It was a helpful message, and I wanted to type out two of the quotes he used in his conclusion.

J.C. Ryle (from Holiness):

The holiest actions of the holiest saints that ever lived are all more or less full of defects and imperfections. They are either wrong in their motives or defective in their performance, and in themselves are nothing better than splendid sins deserving God's wrath and condemnation. The only righteousness in which we can appear before God is the righteousness of another, even the perfect righteousness of our substitute and representative Jesus Christ the Lord. For all this, however, the Bible distinctly teaches that the holy actions of a sanctified man, though imperfect, are pleasing in the sight of God. . . . He regards them as members of his own dear Son, and for his sake wherever there is a single eye he is well pleased.

J.I. Packer (from Knowing God):

There is unspeakable comfort - the sort of comfort that energizes, be it said, not enervates - in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me.

There is, certainly, great cause for humility in the thought that he sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see (and I am glad!), and that he sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself (which, in all conscience, is enough). There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought of that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realize that purpose.

I want to grow to understand the gospel more and more in my days and moments. I want to see my justification more clearly, so that I see the reality of grace in my sanctification as well. I see so much of my failures, limitations, and sins. But God sees even more; he sees it all. And knowing all, he still purchased me and loves me and is committed to doing his work in me. It is comforting to know that when I am tired out from the hard work of sanctification and growing in Christ, God is not. I work only because he works. While my hold on him fails, his hold on me never fails. He is the one who came to seek and save me, and he is still the one who initiates towards me.

Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be.

photo: Agape Farm - Mt. Union, PA 2010

Blogging: a selective window

Blogging can be helpful, fun, instructive, informative, entertaining, communicative, relational, and so many other things. It can give a window into someone's thoughts and life, but it will fail to give a full picture. This is the case for so much of online (and other public) interactions. My friend and pastor's wife, Lori, describes this well in her post today called Picture Perfect? .

photo: Venice, Italy 2007