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A Reflection on Live Love 2009 – Katie Birnie

You are standing before a throne. This throne is surrounded by swirls of rainbows and from it roars rumbles of lightning and thunder. Seven torches of fire burn before this throne and before it stretches a crystal sea of glass. Seated upon this throne is One who radiantly shines forth like jasper and diamonds. Surrounding His throne are four creatures which each have six brilliant wings and are covered with eyes inside and out. If one of these creatures were to appear to us today, we would run in terror from its magnificence. Also surrounding His throne are twenty-four thrones of elders who are clad in white garments and golden crowns. Day and night the creatures cry out, “Holy, holy, holy!” And day and night the elders fall down before Him, casting their crowns at His feet and saying, “Worthy are You!” Never ceasing, never ending.

This is the God I pray to. This is also the God I often fall asleep on during those prayers. If I rightly thought about the God I am speaking with when I bow my head to pray, my prayer life would change drastically. I might not go about prayer so casually. I might not view my relationship with Him as a set of rules and laws. I might not take the fact that I can stand before His awesome throne for granted.

So often I ask how much can I do and how far can I go without God ending our relationship and sending me to hell. It is like a wife going out all night and coming home the next morning, and knowing that her husband won’t divorce her. And then her slapping him in the face and telling him that it isn’t any of his business when he asks her where she’s been, and knowing that her husband won’t divorce her. And her even going so far as to kiss another man, and knowing her husband won’t divorce her. And then maybe even cheating on her husband, and knowing that he still won’t divorce her. And he probably wouldn’t. But is this love?

In my life, I keep doing things that I know God hates because I think that He won’t send me to hell for it. But is this love? I make it all about rules and laws and completely forget about the love relationship God desires to have with me. If I truly loved God and treasured Christ, it wouldn’t be about following rules; it would be about trying not to hurt Him by doing what He hates. Because I love Him. Because He gave what is most precious to Him so I could be with Him and enjoy Him.

I do not deserve to stand here before His throne, and I do not deserve the embrace of the highest Being around me. I call Him daddy and He calls me child. I run to Him and He scoops me up and holds me to Himself. This ultimate One, glowing like jasper and diamonds, holding me in His arms and whispering His love in my ear. I cannot believe Who I am speaking to. I cannot believe He hears me.

What might my prayers be like if I really trusted this were true?

Catechism Study

We have begun a study of  A Baptist Catechism on Sunday mornings when I (this is David) substitute teach for Brother Nick. Students, take advantage of the fact that we will be going through this study slowly and learn and practice the material. Remember our objectives are to learn the questions and answers, and to memorize the scripture references that support those answers. We are not memorizing scripture here, although that may be a beneficial side effect of what we want to accomplish. Memorizing scripture is great and you should, but our objective in this study is to become better grounded in our doctrines. We want to be able to engage people with relevant information to reinforce our own faith and help grow theirs. The relevant information, in this case, comes from, and only from the Bible.

Here is our purpose for this study. When you hear someone ask a question like this:

“How do you even know that there is a God?”

 That you will not answer like this:

“ Uh, I don’t know.”

“My Mom says there is.”

“My Dad says there is.”

“My Preacher says that there is.”

“Um… What?”

“There just is.”

Or, not even like this: “The bible says there is.”

Rather, we want to be equipped to answer like this:

“Well, that’s a good question. In the Bible, in Psalms chapter 19, verse one, it says that even the Heavens and the sky declare the Glory of God and proclaim His works. And in Romans chapter 1 verse 8, it says that God’s power and divine nature have been clearly seen because of what he has made. Let me get my Bible and I’ll show you”.

As you can imagine, knowing where doctrines are taught in the Bible will give you great confidence in your faith. You will know what you believe because you know what the Bible teaches about it, not because I, or Brother Josh, or Brother Nick, or Brother Woodard, or your first grade Sunday school teacher said it.  You will be bolder in talking to others about your faith.

This is a mature study and it’s going to take some time, but it is so important.

As John Piper summarizes, study of the Catechism is important because:

1) We are required to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast” (Col. 1:23).

2) We are urged to “attain to the unity of the… knowledge of the Son of God…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:13-14).

3) There are many deceivers (1 John 2:26).

4) There are difficult doctrines “which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).

5) Leaders must be raised up who can “give instruction in sound doctrine and also confute those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).

I am thrilled at the enthusiasm and interest you have shown in our studies of the Catechism thus far. I look forward to learning and growing with you as we learn about the precious doctrines of our faith and of our Mighty God.

Here is the link to the online version of A Baptist Catechism.   So far we have covered questions 1 – 3.

Have a great week.

All gloriaDEI Girls PLEASE Inject Yourselves With This!

A girl should get so lost in God, that a guy has to seek God to find her! - Dannah Gresh

HT: Desiring God

Don’t Waste Your Sexuality

HT: Desiring God

Gas, the Weather, & Sin

My attitude toward the weather is like my attitude toward gas prices.  Previously 40° was intolerable, now it would be a welcome reprieve.   Unfortunately my attitude toward sin often fluctuates in the same way.

His Suffering and Ours

During the Napoleonic period in Europe some of the emperor’s soldiers opened a prison that had been used by the Spanish Inquisition. There were many dungeons in the prisons, but in one of them the soldiers found something particularly interesting. They found the remains of a prisoner, the flesh and clothing all long since gone and only an ankle bone in a chain to tell his story. On the wall, however, carved into the stone with some sharp piece of metal, there was a crude cross. And around the cross were the Spanish words for the four dimensions of Ephesians 3:18-19. Above was the word “height.” Below was the word “depth.” On one side there was the word “breadth.” On the other there was the word “length.” Clearly, as this poor, persecuted soul was lying in chains and was dying, he comforted himself with the thought that God who in himself contains the breath, length, depth, and height of all things was able to satisfy him fully.  - James Montgomery Boice in The Gospel of John Volume 1

When Revelation Brings Despair

Sunday night I said that when Revelation is read in such a way that results in pride or despair you have read it wrong.  When I said this, the pride I had in mind was the sort that is seen in the guy who has the big wall size chart and can tell you what everthing means.  By despair I had in mind those who read it and are overwhelmed with judgement, rather than the One who judges.  But there is another type of despair that is perhaps more common and more deadly to our souls.

…because we have such a high reguard for this life we have a low expectation of paradise; thus we do not long for the promised paradise as we should. – Burk Parsons

It may bring despair instead of comfort becuase you are already comforted!

NRBC 2009 Anticipation

Customized Tissue

Here is a Christmas item to request along with your PPB, personalized bath tissue.  Curious, would it be an exercise in humility to use tissue monogrammed with your name or initials, or an example of excessive pride?