D. A. Carson is Awesome.

“Dilemma wretched: how shall holiness

Of brilliant light unshaded, tolerate

Rebellion’s fetid slime, and not abate

In its own glory, compromised at best?

Dilemma wretched: how can truth attest

That God is love, and not be shamed by hate

And wills enslaved and bitter death—the freight

Of curse deserved, the human rebels’ mess?

The Cross! The Cross! The sacred meeting-place

Where, knowing neither compromise nor loss,

God’s love and holiness in shattering grace

The great dilemma slays! The Cross! The Cross!

The holy, loving God whose dear Son dies

By this is just—and one who justifies.”

—D.A. Carson

An Old Prayer

I was going through old documents on my computer, and came across one where I had saved a few written prayers of mine. I had been reading through John, and trying to pray through it as well. I did not keep that up, but I've been meaning to start again. Finding this old document was another kick in my memory's behind!

~

Reading: John 17 Date: Sept. 26, 2008

Father,

Thank You that you sent Your Son, Jesus, to the earth to save us. To save me, Lord. O God, it is no good to make it impersonal. You came for me. Thank You. No matter how many times I say it, it will never be enough. I will say it for eternity, Lord. I will praise You for ever.

Lord, thank You for your example in this prayer. Thank You that You have been given authority over all, to give eternal life to all whom the Father gives You. Let me know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent. Precious knowledge, never depart from me!

Let me always keep your word, O Lord. Thank You for the promise that You are praying for us. I cannot fathom the grace that brought me into the fold. Father, thank You. I am in awe, I cannot speak properly when I think about it. O the depths of the grace of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Lord, let You be glorified in me. Let people not see me when they look at me, but let them see You. Lord, let your image be clearly seen in me I pray.

Lord, let me remember this prayer of Yours, and take it to heart. Let me remember it whenever I feel frail, whenever I lose heart. O God, You are my God. You will keep me by Your grace, in Your name.

Let me never leave the word behind, but remember that the word is God’s Word.

Lord, keep me from the evil one. Sanctify me in the truth, for your word is truth. Let me saturate myself in the word, let my mind be filled with the word, O God let me never forsake the word!

Lord, thank You that You prayed for me, for those in my generation – for all those who read the words of those with you and believed them.

Lord, I desire to be with You where You are, but I know that Your purposes are perfect. I will say along with Paul: To live is Christ, to die is gain. Lord, let me live with the intent of proclaiming Your name.

Lord, let the love with which the Father loves You be in me, Your servant. Thank You, Lord, for Your promises.

In Christ my Saviour’s precious name,

Amen.

Just For You, Heather, Because I Lub You :D

A BETTER RESURRECTION

by: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

HAVE no wit, no words, no tears;

My heart within me like a stone

Is numb'd too much for hopes or fears;

Look right, look left, I dwell alone;

I lift mine eyes, but dimm'd with grief

No everlasting hills I see;

My life is in the falling leaf:

O Jesus, quicken me.

My life is like a faded leaf,

My harvest dwindled to a husk:

Truly my life is void and brief

And tedious in the barren dusk;

My life is like a frozen thing,

No bud nor greenness can I see:

Yet rise it shall--the sap of Spring;

O Jesus, rise in me.

My life is like a broken bowl,

A broken bowl that cannot hold

One drop of water for my soul

Or cordial in the searching cold;

Cast in the fire the perish'd thing;

Melt and remould it, till it be

A royal cup for Him, my King:

O Jesus, drink of me.

Yesterday's Notes on Ephesians 1

Paul, an apostle...he has authority from God.

...an apostle of Christ Jesus...specifically serving the Lord.

...an apostle...by the will of God...God raised him up, and confronted him with salvation on the road to Damascus. God had great plans for Paul, and Paul would suffer much in the name of Jesus.

To the saints...that is what we are in Christ. faithful in Christ Jesus...because of Jesus.

Blessed be God! He has blessed us [in Christ] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We have all we will need from God in Christ.

in the heavenly places...this is not our home. We have a dual citizenship right now, being in the Now and the Coming. We are citizens of heaven.

He chose us...God is sovereign, almighty, and omnipotent when it comes to salvation. He chose us before the foundation of the world.

even as he chose us...if He did not choose us, we can't say we have been blessed in Christ either. One is as the other. If we are blessed, then we also were chosen.

we should be holy and blameless...the requirement upon receiving salvation: Christ-likeness.

blameless before him...God is the Prime witness, the only one we have offended or can offend. Our sin and negligence are ultimately against Him.

In love...God moved not mechanically or without emotion; all His purposes were bound up in the love He had for us from before the foundation of the world.

He predestined us for adoption...not by our own work or merit, but before we existed or willed. It is all of God. To Him be the glory, honour and power forever and ever! Amen.

through Jesus Christ...In Christ alone my hope is found. He alone is our Mediator, Redeemer, and Propitiation. In Him only are we redeemed. Those outside of Him are still in their sins. There is no way to be reconciled to God but through Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will...Acts 2:23. God's plan from before the foundation of the world was that the Son should pay the price for our sin. He ALWAYS loved us, and ALWAYS had a mind for our salvation.

to the praise of His glorious grace...our purpose: to glorify God. To God be the glory, great things He hath done...

with which he has blessed us in the Beloved...only in Christ are these blessings found.

the Beloved...Christ is the Beloved Son, with Whom the Father was well pleased. Christ did all things well. He was perfect, and perfectly sinless. He was beloved of god and had a unified relationship with the Father. This He gave up on the cross for our sake.

we have redemption through his blood...not by His works are we saved, but by the shedding of His blood. Blood sacrifice was required of God for sin. The life is in the blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

the forgiveness of our trespasses...because the Beloved's blood was shed.

according to the riches of his grace...again, not of our works, but by His grace and His shed blood; He chose to be gracious and planned to be gracious from before the foundation of the earth. Blessed be His name!

He lavished upon us...He is no skinflint. God is generous with His blessing.

in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will...God does not leave us in the dark. He has revealed His will insofar as we need to know it in order to obey. We have all the knowledge we require. We cannot presume to claim ignorance, for God has not left us in ignorance. He has revealed what is necessary.

according to his purpose...he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time...God has set the date. He will act precisely when He means to. His purposes are often veiled to us, but it is not required that we see them; what is required from us is faith. God blesses us, redeems us, and loves us; can we not trust Him?

to unite all things in him...the day is coming when there will be no more strife. Through Christ we are reconciled to God and united in Him. Christ is all, and in all. Things in heaven have met unchangeably with things on earth, and God will not go back now. What He has revealed cannot be unrevealed. What He has shed cannot be unshed.

In him we have obtained an inheritance...in Christ we are heirs, more than conquerors, children of God! Hallelujah!

[God] works all things according to the counsel of his will...Amen!

the gospel of your salvation...the gospel is the word of truth. It is of our salvation. Put to death the questions and doubts about its authenticity! Who would you believe rather than God? Man? History? Science? Archeology? None of them are infallible, but God is.

sealed with the promised Holy Spirit...sealed - bound - imprinted. Marked. Eternally tattooed. All of creation knows you belong to God, and will eternally. God has you forever and ever. The seal of the Holy Spirit cannot be broken. He is God. What God has joined together, let not man separate...Christ is joined to His Bride irrevocably. Can we lose our salvation? Are we not sealed?

The Spirit is our guarantee! He is the "down payment" of our inheritance. We are God's children. Heirs. Co-heirs with Christ. We are written into God's will and we cannot be scratched out. Praise God!

For this reason...because of their faith in Jesus and their love toward the saints, Paul gives thanks, and remembers them in his prayers. Paul is no slacker in prayer. He knows the blessing of seeing those whom you love living in a way that proves their faith....

God...may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him...God understands our weakness and helps us in it. He opens our eyes to the truth and gives us discernment and understanding.

that you may know...God reveals His will where we are concerned.

His GLORIOUS inheritance...the IMMEASURABLE GREATNESS of his power toward us who believe...is God weak? Is God limited? Or is He powerfully at work in our salvation?

God works with great might...just as He raised Christ, He works His immeasurable greatness for His children.

Christ...is above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, in every age. All things are under His feet, and He is head over all things to the church. If the church is serving Christ + something else, there is a serious problem.

the church...his body...He is one with His church. Christ is our King and our all in all. We are representatives of His only insofar as we represent Him alone, above every other name that is named.

Let it be, Lord! May it be so.

Ephesians 1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

The Gift of Music

I just finished reading "The Gift of Music" by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson. It was a book that featured some of the great composers of history, and their influence upon life, culture, and especially music.

It was a great book. It gave brief introductions into the lives of nearly fifty composers, from Schütz to Shostakovich.

The neat thing about each of these composers was their outlook on life, and how that affected their music. Bach, for instance, believed that everything he could do with music was a gift from God, and he made a point of glorifying God every time he composed.

"I feel strongly that all the arts, and particularly music,

should be placed in the service of Him

who has created and given them." ~ Martin Luther

Other composers also had faith in God, and devoted their music to His glory. They used it as another means to praise Him.

Psalm 101:1

"I will sing of steadfast love and justice;

to you, O Lord, I will make music."

Yet others, though, were atheist, nihilist...there was a full range of beliefs among the great composers.

It was interesting to see what their outlook was on life, and how that influenced their music. Some resorted to near-chaos within their songs, trying to make sense of senselessness, while others preferred the order and beauty that they felt reflected the order that God had created.

Some of them died in despair, others with peace.

Many of them died poor, but left a lasting impression on the world through the music they left behind.

I enjoyed this book, since I enjoy music.

As the authors put it,

"We are not speaking of something unimportant, although some may feel that art, music, and literature are the extras in life. Alfred Einstein in his book Greatness in Music made this startling statement: 'Artistic greatness is both more permanent and universal than historical greatness.'"

Now that I'm done reading it, I think that I will start back at page one. :)

It Is Not Death To Die

Ephesians 1:1-14

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

Happy Easter. :) He is Risen!

Another Spurgeon Quote

"In this degenerate time we are very much as Israel was in the days of the Judges, for there are raised up among us leaders who judge Israel, and are the terror of her foes. Oh, if the church had in her midst a race of heroes; if our missionary operations could be attended with the holy chivalry which marked the church in the early days; if we could have back apostles and martyrs, or even such as Carey and Judson, what wonders would be wrought!...

The fact is, the most of us are vastly inferior to the early Christians, who, as I take it, were persecuted because they were thoroughly Christians, and we are not persecuted because we hardly are Christians at all. They were so earnest in the propagation of the Redeemer’s kingdom, that they became the nuisance of the age in which they lived. They would not let errors alone. They had not conceived the opinion that they were to hold the truth, and leave other people to hold error without trying to intrude their opinions upon them, but they preached Christ Jesus right and left, and delivered their testimony against every sin. They denounced the idols, and cried out against superstition, until the world, fearful of being turned upside down, demanded of them, “Is that what you mean? Then we will burn you, lock you up in prison, and exterminate you.” To which the church replied, “We will accept the challenge, and will not depart from our resolve to conquer the world for Christ.” At last the fire in the Christian church burned out the persecution of an ungodly world.

But we are so gentle and quiet, we do not use strong language about other people’s opinions; but let men go to hell out of charity to them.

We are not at all fanatical, and for all we do to disturb him, the old manslayer has a very comfortable time of it.

We would not wish to save any sinner who does not particularly wish to be saved.

If persons choose to attend our ministry, we shall be pleased to say a word to them in a mild way, but we do not speak with tears streaming down our cheeks, groaning and agonising with God for them; neither would we thrust our opinions upon them, though we know they are being lost for want of the knowledge of Christ crucified. May God send the latter rain to his church, to me, and to you, and may we begin to bestir ourselves, and seek after the highest form of earnestness for the kingdom of King Jesus. May the days come in which we shall no longer have to complain that we sow much and reap little, but may we receive a hundredfold reward, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ."