Quotes

My sister brought this quote to my attention. What powerful truth it is!

'The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God., The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don't have to play defensive games anymore. We don't have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can say we told a lie instead of exaggerated a bit. We can admit an unforgiving spirit instead of continuing to blame our parents for our emotional distress. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. With the assurance of total forgiveness through Christ we have no reason to hide from our sins anymore.'
-Jerry Bridges The Discipline of Grace

Ransom

I enjoyed listening to a song today that used "Ransom from Heaven" as a name for Christ and it provoked a number of thoughts in my head.

It is quite common for us to think of a ransom as a payment made by a parent to buy back their stolen child. But that's not quite how our salvation was won. God the Father used His Son as the ransom payment to buy back me, one of the "children of wrath" who was "dead in trespasses and sins". He used His only Son, Jesus, to buy me, who was not His son, to make me His son and joint heir with Jesus (Rom 8:14-17). Jesus Christ is truly my Ransom from Heaven

Here's a personalized version of Ephesians 2 that teaches this truth. This passage has already been shaping my thinking over the last couple of weeks and I was excited to see the Lord bring these two thoughts together as an encouragement to my heart when I needed it.

And [I was] dead in [my] trespasses and sins, in which [I] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them [I] formerly lived in the lusts of [my] flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and [was] by nature [a child] of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved [me], even when [I was] dead in [my] transgressions, made [me] alive together with Christ (by grace [I] have been saved), and raised [me] up with Him, and seated [me] with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward [me] in Christ Jesus.

No More Tears

I've tried to cry but can't. There is anger and frustration and disappointment; but no tears. It's happened too often. Too many have fallen while so many more are crumbling.

I could be next.

There may not be tears but there is resolve. Every single day I must resolve to submit myself to my Savior and obediently apply the truths of His Word to the decisions laid out before me. Every moment I must resolve to protect myself regardless of what others may be comfortable with; regardless of what I myself may be comfortable with.

By the exceeding abundant grace of my God I have stood and only by that grace will I continue to do so.

Philippians 2:5-7

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as aman, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death on a cross.

Christ existing as 100% God and 100% man is difficult concept for my created mind to grasp. But compounding the issue is the statement that Christ did not consider His equality with God the Father as a thing to be clutched or held onto, but willingly set these privileges to the side, emptying Himself, in order to live in my shoes (or sandals) and face my temptations (Luke 4:1-13, Heb 4:15), so that He could legitimately die my death to pay my penalty for my sin. (Gal 3:13, Titus 2:14)

That is ultimate humility. And, I'm expected to have that mindset?!? Only by the grace of Him through whom all things are possible (Luke 18:27, John, 15:4, Phil 4:13)!

Stuck in my head

This song has been stuck in my head all morning. My Dad would sing this while playing his guitar, and this morning I kept singing it to Emma. I'm excited that she loves music. Hopefully she will be much more talented than I both vocally and instrumentally.

He's Still Working On Me

Chorus: He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.

1. There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,
Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.

2. In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
But He loves me as I am and He helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.

"But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1Cor 15:10) and apart from His faithful love I would be destitute, void of all hope.