A Thousand Things

John 10:27

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
    And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
    And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
    And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
    And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
-Rudyard Kipling

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards in Categories

http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2011/06/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards-in-categories/

by Jonathan Parnell | December 27, 2011

As I’ve been working on my book on gospel-centered productivity, Jonathan Edward’s resolutions have been very relevant and significant. Edwards is an example to us of true productivity — he shows us that true productivity is about a life well lived and that, even more, a life well lived is a God-centered life.
Edwards also shows us that a well lived life doesn’t just happen; it requires intentionality. And intentionality manifests itself in certain “mechanisms” that help us maintain our intentionality. Edwards’ resolutions are one example of such a “mechanism.”
So Edwards is a good example not just of a life that is lived well, but also of the “practical side” of how to actually build that intentionality into our lives, rather than just letting it remain a vague wish that never takes deep root and makes a real difference.
Toward that end, it’s worth reflecting on and giving some thought to his resolutions. Many of you are familiar with them, I’m sure. What I’ve tried to do here is put them into a few categories that can perhaps help shed some additional light on the resolutions and how Edwards lived his life.
Obviously these categories are somewhat subjective. In one sense, everything could fit under the “spiritual life” category, for example. And things could be divided into more categories than I have here. But I hope that these categories help cast some additional light on Edward’s resolutions for you — and how you think about these areas of your own life. For example, we might not typically put something like resolution 7 (“Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life”) under “time management.” But I think it is extremely relevant to time management, and seeing it in that light helps us re-orient the way we think about time management for ourselves generally.
You’ll notice also that I’ve categorized this post under “managing yourself.” That is to underscore the point — which I think is often overlooked — that when we are talking about the spirituality of someone like Jonathan Edwards, we aren’t talking about anything different than the basic reality of how to manage our own lives. Managing yourself is actually a very spiritual thing, and ought to be understood in that light, rather than as simply a mix of secular disciplines (though there are many “secular”-seeming disciplines involved, especially as life gets more technological and complex).
The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (1722-1723)
Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.
Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.


Overall Life Mission
1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.
2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.
6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power; might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty; and then according to Eph. 6:6-8, do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man; “knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.” June 25 and July 13, 1723.


Good Works
11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances don’t hinder.
13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.


Time Management
5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, to live so at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.
37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and wherein I have denied myself: also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec.22 and 26, 1722.
40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.
41. Resolved, to ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.
50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.
51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.
http://www.whatsbestnext.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5412&action=edit&message=9
55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.
61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc. May 21, and July 13, 1723.


Relationships
14. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger to irrational beings.
16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
31. Resolved, never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.
33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and preserving peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other respects. Dec.26, 1722.
34. Resolved, in narration’s never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity.
36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.
46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eve: and to be especially careful of it, with respect to any of our family.
58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May27, and July 13, 1723.
59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July ii, and July 13.
66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.
70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.


Suffering
9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.
57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether ~ have done my duty, and resolve to do it; and let it be just as providence orders it, I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.


Character
8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.
12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.
21. Resolved, never to do anything, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.
32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that in Prov. 20:6, “A faithful man who can find?” may not be partly fulfilled in me.
47. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peace able, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to. Examine strictly every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5,1723.
54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.
63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. Jan.14′ and July ’3′ 1723.
27. Resolved, never willfully to omit anything, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.
39. Resolved, never to do anything that I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or no; except I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.
20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.


Spiritual Life
Assurance
25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.
48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or no; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.
49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.
The Scriptures
28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
Prayer
29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.
64. Resolved, when I find those “groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those “breakings of soul for the longing it hath,” of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be wear’, of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
The Lord’s Day
38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord’s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.
Vivification of Righteousness
30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.
42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.
43. Resolved, never henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s, agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12. Jan.12, 1723.
44- Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. Jan.12, 1723.
45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan.12 and 13.1723.
Mortification of Sin and Self Examination
23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.
24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.
60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4, and 13, 1723.
68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
Communion with God
53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.
65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton’s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.
Aug. 17, 1723

A Kind of Christmas Tale

 http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/a-kind-of-christmas-tale

by John Piper | December 23, 2007

I wrote this story about four years ago to tell the children at Bethlehem's Christmas Eve service.

The Poor Man and His Cow
And the Rich Man and His Wall

Based (very loosely) on a story in T. H. White’s The Once and Future King.

Once upon a time there was a very wise old man named Job. In his old age God gave to him a daughter whom he named Jemima, which means little dove. He loved his little girl and she loved her daddy.
One day Job decided to go on journey and asked Jemima if she would like to go along. “Oh, yes,” Jemima said. “I would love to go along.”
But Job said, “It will be a journey that takes us several days. So we will be staying each night wherever people will have us. So I can’t promise it will be nice. But God will take care of us. He always does what is right. He always meets the needs of those who trust him.”
Jemima smiled and said, “And even if things go bad, God makes them turn for good. Right, Daddy? Just like the little poem that you taught us:

When things don’t go the way they should
God always makes them turn for good.”

“That’s right, Jemima,” Daddy said, “and there’s another little poem you need to learn. It goes like this:

When things go better than they should
For people who are bad,
Remember, if they stay that way,
At last they will be sad.”

And so they started off on their journey and walked all day. At sundown they saw a little cottage and knocked on the door. A very poor man and his wife and baby lived there. Job asked if he and Jemima could spend the night there before they continued on their journey in the morning.
The poor man and his wife were very happy to let them stay. They gave Job and Jemima their own room and made them a simple supper. The special treat was fresh milk from their only cow. This was how the poor couple made a living. Their cow gave good milk and they sold it for enough to live on.
In the morning when Job and Jemima got up they heard crying. The cow had died during the night. The poor man’s wife was crying, “What will we do? What will we do?” she sobbed. The poor man was about to cut the cow into pieces and sell the meat before it spoiled. But Job said, “I think you should not cut the cow in pieces but bury him by your back wall under the olive tree. The meat may not be good to sell. Trust God, and he will take care of you.”
Then Job and Jemima went on their way. They walked all day again and were very tired when they came to the next town and noticed a fine home. They knocked on the door. A very wealthy man lived in this house and they hoped that they would not be an inconvenience to one so wealthy.
But the man was very gruff with them and said they could stay in the barn. He gave them water and bread for supper and let them eat it by themselves in the barn. Job was very thankful for the barn and the bread and water and said to the wealthy man, “Thank you very much for the bread and water and for letting us stay in your barn.”
In the morning Job noticed that one of the walls of the house was crumbling. So he went and bought bricks and mortar and repaired the hole in the wall for the wealthy man. Then Job and Jemima went on their way and came to their destination.
As they sat by the fire that night Jemima said, “Daddy, I don’t understand the ways of God. It doesn’t seem right that the poor man’s cow should die when he was so good to us, and that you should fix the rich man’s wall when he was so bad to us.”
“Well, Jemima,” Job said, “many things are not the way they seem. Perhaps this once I will tell you why. But after this you will have to trust God.”
“The poor man’s cow was very sick, but he didn’t know it. I could taste it in the milk. Soon he would have sold bad milk and the people would have gotten sick and died, and they would have stoned him. So I told him not to sell the meat, but to bury the cow under the olive tree by his back wall because the Lord showed me that, if he dug the grave there he would find a silver cup buried from long ago, and sell it for enough money to buy two good cows. And in the end things would be better for him and his wife and child.”
“When we spent the night at the rich man’s house, I saw the hole in the wall and I saw more than that. I saw that hidden in the wall from generations ago was a chest full of gold. If the rich man had repaired the wall himself, he would have found it and continued in his pride and cruelty. So I bought brick and closed the wall so that the man would never find this treasure.”
“Do you see, Jemima?”
“Yes, Daddy, I see.”
“So never forget, Jemima, many things are not what they seem. But if we trust in God,

When things don’t go the way they should
God always makes them turn for good.”

But if we turn away from God and are unkind and selfish, then the other saying will come true:

When things go better than they should
For people who are bad,
Remember, if they stay that way,
At last they will be sad.”

And that’s the way it was with Jesus. It seemed like he was unimportant because he was born in a small unimportant town, not a big city. He was born in a stable, not a palace. He was laid in a manger, not a fine bed. He was a carpenter not a famous statesman. He had a small group of friends, not a great army. And worst of all, he was killed like a common criminal on a cross.
But many things are not what they seem. He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world. He rose from the dead. He is alive today and rules over the world and King of kings and Lord of lords. And everyone who trusts in him will have all their sins forgiven, and will be able to say,

When things don’t go the way they should
God always makes them turn for good.”

Ten Ways to Bring the Gospel Home This Christmas

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/ten-ways-to-bring-the-gospel-home-this-christmas

by Jonathan Parnell | December 21, 2011

Tis' the most wonderful time of the year . . . and it's a unique opportunity to give the good news of Jesus to your unbelieving family.
Randy Newman's book, Bringing the Gospel Home, is a resource meant to equip Christians in how to talk about the gospel in their closest relationships. Because of the book's relevance in this season, Crossway is currently offering a free download.

Christmas with Family Who Don't Know Jesus

David Mathis recently extracted some practical ideas from the book in connection to all the family gatherings accustomed to the holidays. Here are those ten points again, or in his words, "a few thoughts from a fellow bungler to help us think ahead and pray about how we might grow in being proxies for the gospel, in word and deed, among our families."

1) Pray ahead

Begin praying for your part in gospel advance among extended family several days before gathering. And let’s not just pray for changes in them, but also pray for the needed heart changes in us — whether it’s for love or courage or patience or kindness or fresh hope, or all of the above.

2) Listen and ask questions

Listen, listen, listen. Perhaps more good evangelism than we realize starts not with speaking but with good listening. Getting to know someone well, and specifically applying the gospel to them, is huge in witness. Relationship matters.
Ask questions to draw them out. People like to talk about themselves — and we should capitalize on this. And most people only enjoy talking about themselves for so long. At some point, they’ll ask us questions. And that’s our golden chance to speak, upon request.
One of the best times to tell the gospel with clarity and particularity is when someone has just asked us a question. They want to hear from us. So let’s share ourselves, and Jesus in us. Not artificially, but in genuine answer to their asking about our lives. And remember it’s a conversation. Be careful not to rabbit on for too long, but try to keep a sense of equilibrium in the dialogue.

3) Raise the gospel flag early

Let’s not wait to get to know them “well enough” to start clearly identifying with Jesus. Depending on how extended our family is, or how long it’s been since we married in, they may already plainly know that we are Christians. But if they don’t know that, or don’t know how important Jesus is to our everyday lives, we should realize now that there isn’t any good strategy in being coy about such vital information. It will backfire. Even if we don’t put on the evangelistic full-court press right away (which is not typically advised), wisdom is to identify with Jesus early and often, and articulate the gospel with clarity (and kindness) as soon as possible.
No one’s impressed to discover years into a relationship that we’ve withheld from them the most important things in our lives.

4) Take the long view and cultivate patience

With family especially, we should consider the long arc. Randy Newman is not afraid to say to Christians in general, “You need a longer-term perspective when it comes to family.” Chances are we do. And so he challenges us to think in terms of an alphabet chart, seeing our family members positioned at some point from letters A to Z. These 26 steps/letters along the way from distant unbelief (A) to great nearness to Jesus (Z) and fledgling faith help us remember that evangelism is usually a process, and often a long one.
It is helpful to recognize that not everyone is near the end of the alphabet waiting for our pointed gospel pitch to tip them into the kingdom. Frequently there is much spadework to be done. Without losing the sense of urgency, let’s consider how we can move them a letter, or two or three, at a time and not jerk them toward Z in a way that may actually make them regress.

5) Beware the self-righteous older brother in you

For those who grew up in nonbelieving or in shallow or nominal Christian families, it can be too easy to slide into playing the role of the self-righteous older brother when we return to be around our families. Let’s ask God that he would enable us to speak with humility and patience and grace. Let’s remember that we’re sinners daily in need of his grace, and not gallop through the family gathering on our high horse as if we’ve arrived or just came back from the third heaven. Newman’s advice: “use the pronouns ‘we’ and ‘us’ far more than ‘you’” (65).

6) Tell it slant

Some extended family contexts may be so far from spiritual that we need to till the soil of conversation before making many direct spiritual claims. It’s not that the statements aren’t true or desperately needed, but that our audience may not yet be ready to hear it. The gospel may seem so foreign that wisdom would have us take another approach. One strategy is to “tell it slant,” to borrow from the poem of the same name — to get at the gospel from an angle.
“If your family has a long history of negativity and sarcasm,” writes Newman, “the intermediate step of speaking positively about a good meal or a great film may pave the way for ‘blinding’ talk of God’s grace and mercy” (67). Don’t “blind” them by rushing to say loads more than they’re ready for. As Emily Dickinson says, “The truth must dazzle gradually / Or every man be blind.”

7) Be real about the gospel

As we dialogue with family about the gospel, let’s not default to quoting Bible verses that don’t really answer the questions being asked. Let’s take up the gospel in its accompanying worldview and engage their questions as much as possible in the terms in which they asked them. Newman says, “We need to find ways to articulate the internally consistent logic of the gospel’s claims and not resort to anti-intellectual punch lines like, ‘The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.’”
Yes, let’s do quote Bible when appropriate — we are Christians owing ultimately to revelation, not to reason. But let’s not make the Bible into an excuse for not really engaging with their queries in all their difficulty. (And let’s not be afraid to say we don’t know when we don’t!)

8) Consider the conversational context

Context matters. It doesn’t have to be face to face across the table to be significant. “Many people told me their best conversations occurred in a car — where both people faced forward, rather than toward each other,” says Newman. “Perhaps the indirect eye contact posed less of a threat” (91). Maybe even sofas and recliners during a Thanksgiving Day football game, if the volume’s not ridiculous. Be mindful of the context, and seek to make yourself available for conversation while at family gatherings, rather than retreating always into activities or situations that are not conducive to substantive talk.

9) Know your particular family situation.

In some families, the gospel has been spoken time and again in the past to hard hearts, perhaps there has been a lack of grace in the speaking, and what is most needed is some unexpected relational rebuilding. Or maybe you’ve built and built and built the relationship and have never (or only rarely) clearly spoken the message of the gospel.
Let’s think and pray ahead of time as to what the need of hour is in our family, and as the gathering approaches pray toward what little steps we might take. And then let’s trust Jesus to give us the grace our hearts need, whether it’s grace for humbling ourselves enough to connect relationally or whether it’s courage enough to speak with grace and clarity.

10) Be hopeful

God loves to convert the people we think are the least likely. Jesus is able to melt the hardest of hearts. Some who finished their lives among the greatest saints started as the worst of sinners.

Realistically, there could have been some cousin of the apostle Paul sitting around some prayer meeting centuries ago telling his fellow believers, “Hey, would you guys pray for my cousin Saul? I can’t think of anyone more lost. He hunts down followers of The Way and arrests them. Just last week, he was the guy who stood guard over the clothes of the people who killed our brother Stephen.” (53)

With God, all things are possible. Jesus has a history of conquering those most hostile to him. We have great reason to have great hope about gospel advance in our families, despite how dire and dark it may seem.

When We Fail

And when we fail — not if, but when — the place to return is Calvary’s tree. Our solace in failing to adequately share the gospel is the very gospel we seek to share. It is good to ache over our failures to love our families in gospel word and deed. But let’s not miss that as we reflect on our failures, we have all the more reason to marvel at God’s love for us.
Be astonished that his love is so lavish that he does not fail to love us, like we fail to love him and our families, and that he does so despite our recurrent flops in representing him well to our kin.

O Holy Night

O Holy Night Lyrics 

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wise men from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

 The words and lyrics of the old carol 'O Holy Night' were written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was a wine seller by trade but was asked by the parish priest to write a poem for Christmas. He obliged and wrote the beautiful words of the hymn. He then realised that it should have music to accompany the words and he approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams(1803-1856). 

 http://www.carols.org.uk/ba32-o-holy-night.htm

Sent into the World: Jesus' Mission and Ours

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/sent-into-the-world-jesus-mission-and-ours

by David Mathis | December 22, 2011

A danger lurks in our endeavors to live incarnationally. Danger, yes, but not deterrent. It is a risk worth taking, though not treating lightly.
The danger is that we can subtly begin to key on ourselves, rather than Jesus, when we think of what Christian mission is and what incarnation means. Over time we start to function as if Christian mission begins with, and centers on, our intentionality and relationality. What really excites us is not the old, old story, but our new strategies for kingdom advance. Almost imperceptibly we’ve slowly become more keen how we can copy Jesus than the glorious ways in which we can’t.
But thankfully the Advent season, and its annual buildup to Christmas Day, serves as an important periodic reminder that the most important part of the Christian mission isn’t the Christian, but the Christ.
Our little efforts at incarnational living, courageous and self-sacrificial as they may be, are only faint echoes of the world-altering, one-of-a-kind Incarnation of the very Son of God. And if Christian mission doesn’t flow from and toward the worship of the Incarnate One, we’re really just running round the hamster wheel.

Jesus Sends Us

Make no mistake about it, Christians are sent. Jesus prays to his Father in John 17:18, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” In identifying with Jesus, we are not only “not of this world,” but also sent right back into it on redemptive mission.
The classic text is Jesus’ commission at the end of John’s Gospel: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). Those whom Jesus calls, he also sends — a sending so significant that receiving his “sent ones” amounts to receiving him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me” (John 13:20).
Such a sending should be awe-inspiring, whether our particular sending includes a change in geography and culture, or simply a fresh realization and missional orientation on our lives and labors among our native people.
But what are we “sent ones” sent for? What is this sending about anyways? Merry Christmas.

Why We’re Sent

This is where the Advent reminder is so essential. We are sent as representatives of the one born in Bethlehem and crucified at Calvary. We are sent to announce with all we are — with mouth and mind and heart and hands — that the Father sent the Son.
We are sent to say and show that Jesus was sent into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus and the good news about him (2 Corinthians 4:5). We are not the message, but mere messengers.
Which means that Jesus’ sent status is in a class by itself. He was not only sent as the preeminent Messenger, but sent as the Message himself. Jesus’ “sentness” is primary and ultimate. Our sentness is at best secondary and derivative. Christmas is a reminder of the primacy of Jesus as the Sent One.

His Ultimate and Utterly Unique Sending

That the Father sent his Son to share fully in our humanity is no mere model for mission. It is at the very heart of the gospel which our mission aims to spread. Christian mission exists only because the Message still needs to be told.
Jesus’ mission is unrepeatable. His Incarnation is utterly unique. We are meager delegates, unworthy servants. The more attention we give to the ultimately inimitable condescension of the Son of God, the less the language of “incarnation” seems to apply to our measly missional efforts.
Whatever condescensions and sacrifices we embrace along the path of gospel advance, they simply will not hold a candle to the Light of the world and his divine stooping to take our humanity and endure the excruciating death on our behalf.

Incarnation Inimitable

Because he was in the very form of God, Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8).
Is there something here to mimic? Yes, in some distant sense. But in the main, this Incarnation is not about what we are to do, but about what has been done for us.
So before going on too long about our mission as Christians, let’s give due attention — the attention of worship — to the Jesus whose mission showed us God and accomplished our eternal salvation. The great missio Dei (mission of God) finds its most significant meaning in the Father sending of his own Son not only as the high point and center of the universe and all history, but also the very focus of eternal worship. Our sending, then, empowered by his Spirit, is to communicate and embody that central message, and so rally fellow worshipers.

Our Mission Echoes His

What is the place then, if any, for the talk and tactics of Christians living incarnationally? So far our plea has been that we not obscure the important distinction between Jesus’ matchless Incarnation as Message, and our little incarnational attempts at being his faithful messengers in word and deed.
But are there any applications to make?
Donald Macleod is perhaps as zealous as anyone that the unparalleled condescension of Jesus in the Incarnation not be obscured. Macleod’s book The Person of Christ (InterVarsity, 1998) is a Christological masterpiece, and his sixth chapter, simply called “The Incarnation,” is about as good as it gets. And while his record of uncompromising Christological reflection speaks for itself, this same author would have us imitate Jesus’ incarnational self-condescension. Macleod writes elsewhere:

[Jesus] did not, as incarnate, live a life of detachment. He lived a life of involvement.
He lived where he could see human sin, hear human swearing and blasphemy, see human diseases and observe human mortality, poverty and squalor.
His mission was fully incarnational because he taught men by coming alongside them, becoming one of them and sharing their environment and their problems.
For us, as individuals and churches in an affluent society, this is a great embarrassment. How can we effectively minister to a lost world if we are not in it? How can we reach the ignorant and the poor if we are not with them? How can our churches understanding deprived areas if the church is not incarnate in the deprived areas? How can we be salt and light in the darkened ghettos of our cities if we ourselves don’t have any effective contacts and relationships with the Nazareths of [our day]?
We are profoundly unfaithful to this great principle of incarnational mission.
The great Prophet came right alongside the people and shared their experience at every level.
He became flesh and dwelt among us.
(A Faith to Live By: Understanding Christian Doctrine, 139, paragraphing added)

Macleod believes the language stretches sufficiently. There’s enough elasticity to talk of our incarnational mission without obscuring Jesus’. But to do so, we need Advent’s reminder again and again.

The Centrality of Worship

Christmas reminds us that our life’s dominant note must not be our witness for Jesus, but our worship of Jesus.
Mission is a critical rhythm of the Christian life, an essential season of redemptive history. Our mission of extending Jesus-worship to others, local and global, should be a frequent check on the health of our own Jesus-worship. But mission for Jesus must never take the place of our worship of Jesus, lest the very mission become crudely distorted along with our own souls.

Our Eternal Theme: Worship, Not Mission

If the chief theme of our lives is not worshiping Jesus, enjoying God in him, and being freshly astounded by his grace toward us sinners, we have no good business endeavoring to bring others into an experience that we ourselves aren’t enjoying. And so it is not only the most missional among us, but all of us, who need reminding again and again, that mission “is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is.”
Year after year, Christmas summons us to think of ourselves as worshipers of Jesus much more than we think of ourselves as on-mission pastors, ministers, leaders, or laymen. May it be true of us this Christmas.
May Jesus, the Great Sent One, ever be central — mission included — and may the worship of the Incarnate One continually be the fuel and goal of our faint incarnational echoes.
________

From Mama Monk Blog

 http://mamamonk.com/2011/12/21/practicing-benedict-humility/
In December 20th’s reading of Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, Brennan Manning shares a story of Saint Francis and Brother Leo walking down the road. Francis has noticed that Brother Leo is depressed and Leo has admitted to being overwhelmed of the work of “ever arriving at purity of heart.” St. Francis responds:

“Leo, listen carefully to me.  Don’t be so preoccupied with the purity of your heart. Turn and look at Jesus. Admire him. Rejoice that he is what he is–your Brother, your Friend, your Lord and Savior. That, little brother, is what it means to be pure of heart. And once you’ve turned to Jesus, don’t turn back and look at yourself. Don’t wonder where you stand with him.
“The sadness of not being perfect, the discovery that you really are sinful, is a feeling much too human, even borders on idolatry. Focus your vision outside yourself on the beauty, graciousness and compassion of Jesus Christ. The pure of heart praise him from sunrise to sundown. Even when they feel broken, feeble, distracted, insecure and uncertain, they are able to release it into his peace. A heart like that is stripped and filled — stripped of self and filled with the fullness of God. It is enough that Jesus is Lord.”
After a long pause, Leo said, “Still, Francis, the Lord demands our effort and fidelity.”
“No doubt about that,” replied Francis. “But holiness is not a personal achievement. It’s an emptiness you discover in yourself. Instead of resenting it, you accept it and it becomes the free space where the Lord can create anew…Renounce everything that is heavy, even the weight of your sins. See only the compassion, the infinite patience, and the tender love of Christ. Jesus is Lord. That suffices. Your guilt and reproach disappear into the nothingness of non-attention. You are not longer aware of yourself. Like the sparrow aloft and free in the azure sky. Even the desire for holiness is transformed into a pure and simple desire for Jesus.”~ Brennan Manning

St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

"Prayer is the best weapon we possess, the key that opens the heart of God."

St. Thomas Aquinas

"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you."

Awake My Soul

All Is Grace

Love Came Down

Endurance

Most people, including many Christians, are instead slaves to their bodies. Their bodies tell their minds what to do. Their bodies decide when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, when to sleep and get up, and so on. An athlete cannot allow that. He follows the training rules, not his body. He runs when he would rather be resting, he eats a balanced meal when he would rather have a chocolate sundae, he goes to bed when he would rather stay up, and he gets up early to train when he would rather stay in bed. An athlete leads his body; he does not follow it. It is his slave, not the other way around.

To read the entire sermon click on this link:
  http://bible.org/seriespage/living-gods-approval-1-corinthians-924-27

The Paradox of Christmas

When Love Sees You

Test Yourself: Are You Lukewarm?

 http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/test-yourself-are-you-lukewarm

by Josh Etter | November 28, 2011

Pastor John:

The essence of lukewarmness is the statement, "I need nothing." The lukewarm are spiritually self-satisfied. To find out whether you are among that number, don't look into your head to see if you think that you are needy; rather, look at your prayer life. It doesn't matter what we think in our head, the test of whether we are in bondage to spiritual self-satisfaction is how earnest and frequent and extended our prayers for change are.
Do you seek the Lord earnestly and often in secret for deeper knowledge of Christ, for greater earnestness in prayer, for more boldness in witness, for sweeter joy in the Holy Spirit, for deeper sorrow for sin, for warmer compassion for the lost, for more divine power to love? Or is the coolness and perfunctoriness of your prayer life Exhibit A that you are spiritually self-satisfied and lukewarm?

Grace

"I am not what I might be, I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I wish to be, I am not what I hope to be. But I thank God I am not what I once was, and I can say with the great apostle, 'By the grace of God I am what I am.'” -John Newton

One

"There is but one God, and they that serve Him should be one. There is nothing that would render the true religion more lovely, or make more proselytes to it, than to see the professors of it tied together with the heart-strings of love."
-Thomas Watson

This Book

"This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object; our good is its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is given you in life and will be opened in the judgment and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents." -Author Unknown

Forgiven

"The person who is living by grace sees this vast contrast between his own sins against God and the offenses of others against him. He forgives others because he himself has been so graciously forgiven. He realizes that, by receiving God’s forgiveness through Christ, he has forfeited the right to be offended when others hurt him." -Jerry Bridges

Little Christians

http://xrysostom.blogspot.com/2007/03/luther-lewis-and-christs.html

26 March 2007

Luther, Lewis, and “Little Christs”

Q: I understand that Martin Luther said, “Christians are ‘little Christs.’” I can believe that he did, and I agree with it. The implications are enormous. But a question remains: Can you provide a citation from Luther’s writings, sermons, etc.)? I keep searching and find many present-day references and quotations, but not a direct Luther quote.

A: While the word “Christian” can itself mean “little Christ,” believers originally called Christ’s Church “the Way” (cf. Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23). They usually addressed each other as “brothers,” the “faithful,” the “elect,” or “believers.” Luke tells us that “in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26)” It appears from semantics and sparse usage that the word “Christian” may have begun as derogatory term used by unbelievers for the followers of Jesus. Agrippa’s somewhat sarcastic words support such a contention: “Agrippa said to Paul, ‘In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?’ (26:28)”

In 1 Peter 4:15-16, the apostle indicated that even if the pagan world would use it as an insult, the believer should bear “Christian” as a badge of honor. He wrote, “Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” By the time of Ignatius of Antioch in the early 2nd Century AD, it was the normal term used — and a title for which many believers were willing to die.

From the Apostolic Church, we fast-forward to the 1500s and Martin Luther. One of his early books was The Freedom of a Christian (1520). In it, he wrote, “[A]s our heavenly Father has in Christ freely come to our aid, we also ought freely to help our neighbor through our body and its works, and each one should become as it were a Christ to the other that we may be Christs to one another and Christ may be the same in all, that is, that we may be truly Christians....

“But alas in our day this life is unknown throughout the world; it is neither preached about nor sought after; we are altogether ignorant of our own name and do not know why we are Christians or bear the name of Christians. Surely we are named after Christ, not because he is absent from us, but because he dwells in us, that is, because we believe in him and are Christs one to another and do to our neighbors as Christ does to us. But in our day we are taught by the doctrine of men to seek nothing but merits, rewards, and the things that are ours; of Christ we have made only a taskmaster far harsher than Moses.”

Luther’s understanding focused on what Christ does in and through the believer. Rather than making good works a condition for salvation, he shows that they are a result of being saved. Such an understanding gibes completely with Saint Paul, who wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)”

Granted, the concept of each believer being a “little Christ” might be mined from these thoughts. However, it wasn’t until the 20th Century that the expression gained its most noted proponent. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis several times used the term. Of the purpose of the Church, Lewis said that it “exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.”

Lewis spoke similarly of the believer. He wrote, “We shall love the Father as [Christ] does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of Life He has — by what I call ‘good infection’. Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.”

While Lewis certainly wouldn’t have argued with Luther, I think that he opened the door to allowing subsequent straying from the core of the Reformation understanding of justification by grace through faith in Christ. Mere Christianity doesn’t clearly specify when fully becoming a “little Christ” takes place. He doesn’t clearly state that only in the resurrection will we “love the Father” as completely as Jesus already does.

As far as I know, Lewis never believed otherwise. However, these quotes removed from their context could allow heretical interpreters to use him in support of a theology of glory and in defense of the possibility of moral and spiritual perfectionism occurring during this life.

Meanwhile, although he was still developing his full understanding of God’s grace in Christ when he wrote The Freedom of the Christian, Luther already had a fairly mature grasp of the truth that the Christian is and remains simil iustus et peccator (both saint and sinner) as long as he lives. Therefore, he lauded and encouraged the believer’s Christ-presence in the world, directing the child of God to take care of his neighbor. However, he also warned and rebuked the same person because the Old Adam, stained by sin and Satan, still sought to do its own will, twisting God’s Word and taking advantage of his fellow man.

In eternity, God will remove the final vestiges of sin. He promises that “the Lord Jesus Christ ... will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.... (Philippians 3:20-21)” At the same time, the need for us to be “Christs one to another” will be gone, for no one with whom we share eternity will be “hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison (Matthew 25:44)” So rather than continue idle speculation, we do better to confess our unworthiness, receive our forgiveness and our daily bread with thanksgiving, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

As a closing thought, I suggest you also read my earlier posts On Being Christ-Like and Christians in Society.

Luther quotes from Luther’s Works Volume 31, © 1957 by Fortress Press.

Lewis quotes from Mere Christianity, © 1952, 1980 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

To be a Christian, do you have to be Christ like?

http://xrysostom.blogspot.com/2005/07/on-being-christ-like.html

To be a Christian, do you have to be Christ-like?

A: You are “Christ-like” when you are remade by God in Jesus’ image. Thus, to be a Christian is to be Christ-like. This happens when the Holy Spirit comes in Word and water, forgiving you and leading you to believe and trust in God; for at the same time, God works in you, enabling you to “put on Christ. (Romans 13:14, Galatians 3:27)” You cannot make yourself this way; it is the work of your loving God. The Holy Spirit nurtures, sustains, and grows a Christ-like person through the Gospel; specifically, preaching of forgiveness, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper.

If your life of thought, word, and deed is contrary to the Christian faith, then you should take note — and, perhaps, beware. While you won’t be able to fix this crisis, you can turn in repentance and confidence to the One who can. Immerse yourself ever more in His Word, especially his forgiving Gospel and cling to a Church that teaches God’s love and Jesus’ works on our behalf instead of focusing on human actions or obligations. You will find even more that God is making you a “new creation” while at the same time always making more and better of you.

The strange paradox is that as we grow in the Faith, we also grow in knowledge of our own sinfulness. Thus, the more Christ-like we become, the less Christ-like we often feel.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

Be Born In Me (Mary)

Formula For Forgiveness

Elisabeth Elliot: Am I speaking to someone who has been abused, abandoned, divorced, cheated, lied about, deceived by a business partner, rejected by your children, your spouse, your parents, the church people? Forgive, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Lisa Barry: Do those words seem easy to say but hard to do? Forgiveness always seems like a good idea when we're telling someone else to do it. But when the time comes for us to forgive, the task seems unbearable. What are we supposed to do with all those memories? What happens when that instant replay reminds us over and over of how we were mistreated? Is it naive to think that we could really forgive someone when our emotions rage with bitterness? Today on Gateway to Joy, Elisabeth Elliot continues talking about a formula for forgiveness. Take out a pencil and paper, and jot down the formula. Or keep out that pencil and write out our address and phone number for additional resources at the end of today's program. And now, here's Elisabeth Elliot to get us started. Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That’s what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, talking about forgiveness. I’ve read several wonderful letters from men who have been able, through the grace of God, to forgive. Here’s another one. A very nice letter from a man who tells me that it has been a privilege listening to Gateway to Joy. He said, "I’ve always been a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ. You through God have given me patience, peace, wisdom and trust that I no longer had 22 months ago. You have made me aware of the true relationship between a man and a woman, a wife and a husband. You see, I will end up doing two years and one month and one week for beating my wife. Upon my arrival here, I was filled with self-pity, jealousy, anger and all the other negative feelings that Satan could cause me to experience. Two mornings after being locked up, my wife began living with a man half my age. I will be 53 years old this March. In God’s time, He made a way for me to come back to Him. I will cherish these times here and remember them well. It has been and will continue to be the way back to our Lord Jesus Christ. I have asked God for His forgiveness, and I believe He has forgiven me. I’d like to call these days I spend here? God’s school days. I shall always keep this godly wisdom within me. I have also heard from my wife. She wants to give me another chance. I know that this all came about through Jesus Christ’s love and forgiveness for me. He has given me another blessing that I may return to my wife and five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. In closing, I will continue prayers for you and all the others that you may reach continuously to bring people, as myself, back to our Lord Jesus Christ." Thank you so much, Ted, for your letter. It’s an inspiration; I’m sure, to a number of people. I do get many letters from prisoners. If prison doesn’t do anything else for you, it certainly gives you time to ponder and think, doesn’t it? Think through the past. Think about what you want to aim at in the future. Of course, right there in your cell you can receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. No matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’re in there for? And usually people don’t tell me in their letters what it is that they’re there for? It doesn’t make any difference to God. The grace is greater than all our sin. We used to sing a hymn in family devotions at home, "Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt. Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt." Yesterday I gave three things that one can do in order to forgive that person who has done something which you might think is unforgivable. So I will review them briefly. The first thing that you have to do if you’re going to forgive that person is to receive the grace of God. Until you receive grace from God and His forgiveness of you, you will not be in a position to forgive somebody else. The second thing? Acknowledge the wrong. Name it, whatever it was. Name it in the presence of Christ. Be straightforward with Him. Number three; lay down all your rights. Forgiveness is the unconditional laying down of the self. And now, number four? What to do to or for that person. A), under four. Here I am talking like a schoolteacher now. I have an outline? 1, 2, 3, 4, and then four points underneath number four. So the first one is "If that person asks forgiveness, forgive." Jesus taught us to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us." In other words, Jesus is saying, "You must give to that other person exactly the measure of grace that you are expecting Me," God is saying, "to forgive you for." All of us know that we have sinned against God many more times than we have ever sinned against people. The second thing to do for that person is if he does not forgive you, forgive him anyway in a private transaction with God. Number three, pray for him. And number four; ask for grace to treat that person as if nothing had ever happened. Stand with Christ for him.  My brother, Phil Howard, was a missionary up in Northwest Territory in Canada. When he first went up there, he could not gain the trust of the slave Indians? People who had seemed to receive nothing from white men except evil. So of course, my brother being another white man, they took it for granted that he was there to do them in. It took my brother almost two years to gain the confidence of the Indians. Shortly after he succeeded, the government sent a man there to start a school. This man of course was seen in the same light that my brother was seen? As a man who has come to exploit them. So this man of course was very isolated and became very jealous that he did not have the confidence of the Indians in the way that my brother Phil did. So he became very vindictive. He had a very powerful weapon against my brother in his two hands. The government sent all the welfare checks to John, the teacher. So John made an announcement that any Indian who had anything whatsoever to do with Phil Howard would not qualify to receive his social security check. Can you imagine how long it took for that to take shape? Well, you can bet your bottom dollar that my brother Phil did not see another Indian for a long time. Now how do you think Phil felt toward John? He was praying one day, realizing that his prayers were bouncing back from the ceiling. He said, "Lord, what’s wrong?" The Lord reminded him of that verse that says, "Love your enemies. Do good to them that hate you. Pray for them that despitefully use you." Phil said to the Lord, "Lord, I can’t love him. You’re going to have to do that for me and through me. I can certainly pray for him [that’s the second thing]. I will do that. But I don’t know of anything good that I can do for him. Will You show me?" It was not very long after that that the Lord showed him that the ice was coming in. John was frantically trying to get his boat out of the water down by the riverside. Of course, when the ice comes in a place like Northwest Territory, it comes in with a vengeance. If a boat is stuck in the ice for the winter, it will be smashed to bits in the spring breakup. Phil raced down immediately to the river, realizing that God had indeed answered his prayer. He said to John, "Hang on a minute! I have a winch. My son and I will come down and help you get the boat out." They did so. Now do you suppose that John’s attitude changed immediately toward my brother Phil? It would have been nice, but that’s not what happened. But the government moved John elsewhere. My brother never expected to see him again. But one day on the streets of Edmonton, Alberta, Phil bumped into John. John said to Phil, "Phil, I will never forget what you did for me that day. I hope that God will give us an opportunity to go back to Nahani together, so that I can tell the Indians that I was wrong and you were right." Now what had Phil done? He asked forgiveness. He forgave the man who had trespassed against him. He prayed for him. He did good to him. And by the grace of God, he learned to love that man. The last thing? You must ask for grace to treat that person as if nothing had ever happened. Am I speaking to someone who has been abused, abandoned, divorced, cheated, lied about, deceived by a business partner, rejected by your children, your spouse, your parents, the church people? Are you a victim of misunderstanding? Forgive, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Now a word about our own repentance. It is not vexation with ourselves. Repentance is not impatience. It’s not wounded pride. It’s not self-pity. It’s not disappointment. Repentance is a complete surrender of my sinfulness to the only One who can cleanse me from all sin, and that is Jesus Christ. There’s an old hymn that says, "What can wash away my sin?" The answer: "Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." Lisa Barry: And that is something we need to be reminded of daily. To help you with that, we'd like to send you a booklet called AS WE FORGIVE THOSE. You can keep it in your Bible or in your purse as a constant reminder of God's example in complete forgiveness. I'd also like to remind you of our financial needs here at Gateway to Joy. For as much as kind people like you give to this program, in that same amount we are able to keep the message of the Gospel loud and clear. Would you stand and be counted today among the many people who love to hear what Elisabeth is saying? And for those of you who would like to be involved on a deeper level, why not ask for information on becoming a Gatekeeper Partner? There are many ways to help. Find the one that's right for you. Here's our address: Gateway to Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. Or call toll-free: 1-800-759-4JOY. Or find us on the Web at gatewaytojoy.org. Today’s program has been a production of Back to the Bible. Tomorrow Elisabeth reads another letter from a woman looking for love. Find out what she's learning next time on Gateway to Joy.

Forgiveness as the Key

Lisa Barry: I wonder how many of us were truly prepared for what marriage would be like? We sit so proudly in pre-marital counseling and agree to do all sorts of things. But what we never saw were the assumptions made about what the other person would do or not do. As a result, marriage can quickly turn from bliss to heartache. And where is God in all of this? Well, today on Gateway To Joy Elisabeth Elliot begins a brand new series about transformed marriages. The good news is this, the word transformed means that a marriage can go from bad to great. So even if you think your marriage is beyond repair, you might just need a transformation instead. Let’s find out more as we begin this Monday edition of Gateway to Joy.
Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That’s what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, talking with you today and all of this week about marriages that have been transformed. Actually I think I have four transformed marriage stories and I think maybe I have a missionary story also.
But let's get on with the very first one which comes from a book that was written way back pretty close to a hundred years ago, I guess, by Elisabeth Prentiss. Some of you have read her wonderful little book called Stepping Heavenward. And I would strongly recommend that every woman read that book. Married, single, mother, young, old, whatever--Stepping Heavenward is a magnificent little book. It's ostensibly a diary written by a young girl starting at age 16. I have a strong suspicion that it is pretty much a personal account of Elisabeth Prentiss' own testing and growth and spiritual life.
Well, she's written more than one book, and another one which has been brought back into print is Aunt Jane's Hero. Well, I'm not going to read the book to you, but I do want to read the opener which describes a transformed marriage.
The book itself describes a transformed marriage, but it is a deep and bewildering experience of the meaning of the cross. I often speak about the cross, I mean I intend to speak about the cross again and again, because that is the central point of the Christian life, isn't it? Many churches have a cross at the front of the church. Why? Well, it is that cross on which our Savior died. And without His willingness to go to that cross where would we be.
And so this little book, Aunt Jane's Hero, describes this transformed marriage, but it came not easily at all, but by a deep experience of the meaning of the cross. "They had had a close call with death itself--a priceless and painful experience--which opens their eyes and changes their understanding of suffering.
"They were living to themselves. Self with its hopes and promises and dreams still had hold of them. But the Lord began to fulfill their prayers. They had asked for contrition. He sent them sorrow. They had asked for purity. And He sent them anguish. They had asked to be meek. And He had broken their hearts. They had asked to be dead to the world. And He slew all their living hopes. They had asked to be made like unto Him. And He placed them in the furnace, sitting by as a Refiner of silver till they should reflect His imagine. They had asked to lay hold of His cross. And when He had reached it to them, it lacerated their hands. They had asked they knew not what nor how. But He had taken them at their word and granted them all their petitions.
"They were hardly willing to follow on so far or to draw so nigh to Him. They had upon them an awe and fear, as Jacob at Bethel or Eliphaz in the night visions, or as the apostles when they thought they had seen a spirit and knew not that it was Jesus. They could almost pray to Him to depart from them or to hide His awfulness. They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to do than to give up, to bear the cross than to hang upon it. But they cannot go back for they have come too near the unseen cross, and its virtues have pierced too deeply within them.
"God is fulfilling to them His promise, 'And I, if I be lifted up will draw all men unto Me.' But now at last their turn is come. Before they had only heard of the mystery, but now they feel it. He has fastened on them His look of love as He did on Mary and Peter. And they cannot but choose to follow.
"Little by little--from time to time--by fleeting gleams, the mystery of His cross shines upon this couple. They behold Him lifted up. They gaze on the glory which rays forth from the wounds of His holy passion. And as they gaze they advance and are changed into His likeness. And His name shines out through them for He dwells in them. They live alone with Him above in unspeakable fellowship, willing to lack what others own and to be unlike all so that they're only like Him.
"Such are they in all ages who follow the Lamb whither so ever He goeth. Had they chosen for themselves or their friends chosen for them, they would have chosen otherwise. They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His kingdom. They would have Lot's portion not Abraham's. If they had halted anywhere, if He had taken off His hand and let them stray back, what would they not have lost? What forfeits in the morning of the resurrection? But Christ stayed them even against themselves.
"Many a time their foot had well nigh slipped. But He in mercy held them up. Now even in this life they know that all He did was done well. It was good for them to suffer here, for they shall reign hereafter. It was good for them to bear the cross below, for they shall wear the crown above. And it was good for them that not their will but His was done on them."
And just one little treasure from the book itself. That was all the introduction to the book. They're having a conversation. She says, "Yes, it has puzzled me." And her husband says, 'But I understand it, and so do all who have a similar experience or have observed it in others. God does not give before hand the grace with which to bear His blows. He does not heal before He smites.
"'In your terror at the thought of parting with Horace, you left entirely out of the account the sustaining power that would hold you up and bear you through those awful moments. You suffered in advance and wholly in your own strength. But how many persons I have heard say, "I am a marvel to myself. This blow, so long dreaded, has not slain me as I ever believed it would. I stagger under it, but I live to wonder at the strength God gives me and in which I bear it."
"'Just as the mass of people dread death and declare that they shall shrink from it at the last, yet for all that the dying grace comes in the dying hour.' They sat down together in silence, but it was silence before God.
"Then Aunt Jane said, 'There is just one thing I want to say, if you can bear it, darling. Could you believe, if you did not know it, that out of a repulsive caterpillar there could emerge a bright-winged butterfly? But I want you to believe, because I know it's true, that joy emerges from sorrow.'"
Another story of a transformed marriage from a lady named Alison. "Thank you for your discussion of forgiveness. I download your program from the Internet and enjoy a moment with you and our Lord. Forgiveness as been the key to spiritual growth in my life. Jesus has shown me that it is possible to forgive even when the sentiment is not reciprocated or appreciated.
"Because I have chosen to follow Christ's example of unmerited forgiveness, I have been able to overcome anger, bitterness and self-pity. These emotions were choking me and I was becoming resentful of my husband and children as well as most other people I interacted with regularly.
"I would cry out, 'Lord, this forgiveness issue is not fair. No one is asking for my forgiveness and they continue to hurt me.' He waited patiently and did not respond in the way I wanted Him to. I wanted my offenders to feel overwhelmed with guilt so that they'd seek my forgiveness. Rather, He allowed my power to slip away until I realized I needed His forgiveness.
"In tears I sank to my knees and confessed my selfish ambitions and vindictive thoughts and I sang in my heart the chorus, 'It's not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.' And His Spirit cleansed me, restored me to a right relationship with Him. I am no longer controlled by a desire for fairness or justification. Rather, I am compelled to pray for those who hurt me.
"As I grow closer to Jesus, I am finding that I have fewer incidences of hurt because my focus has changed from 'What do I not have that other people have' to 'Lord, how can you use me to reach others?' The answer to these prayers will glorify the Lord. What better purpose has anyone?
Lisa Barry: It’s a powerful way to begin this series and I’m happy to say there’s more to come tomorrow. Early in the program, Elisabeth mentioned a book that she thinks very highly of. It’s called Stepping Heavenward written by Elizabeth Prentiss. If you want to see the joy of obedience lived out in a person’s life, this book is for you. It’s written in a collection of journal entries that are easy to read and yet profound in their wisdom. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what a departure this book is from the sort you see at popular bookstores. The title again is Stepping Heavenward and the cost is $14.50. To purchase it, you can send that along with your request to:
Gateway to Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, NE 68501. Or call toll-free, 1-800-759-4JOY. That’s 1-800-759-4569. Or you can also find us on the Internet at gatewaytojoy.org.
Gateway to Joy is a listener supported production of Back to the Bible. You can be a part of this ministry as you support us through your prayers and gifts. Gateway to Joy relies on the generosity of its listeners to keep these programs on the air. So I hope we’ll hear from you today. Tomorrow Elisabeth shares a story about resurrected love. Be sure and join us for the next Gateway to Joy.