Scripture also tells us that God is the source of all good in the world.  ”Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17; cf. Ps. 145:9; Acts 14:17).  Moreover, God does only good things for his children.  We read, “No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Ps. 84:11).  And in the same context in which Paul assures us that “in everything God works for good with those who love him” (Rom. 8:28), he also says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” (Rom. 8:32).  Much more than an earthly father, our heavenly Father will “give good things to those who ask him” (Matt 7:11), and even his discipline is a manifestation of his love and is for our good (Heb. 12:10).  This knowledge of God’s great goodness should encourage us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). – Wayne Grudem (p. 198, Systematic Theology)

Instructing a Child’s Heart, a resource for parenting, is filled with biblical wisdom and insight that applies not only to children, but to adults as well. In his chapter, “Giving Children a Vision for the Glory of God” Tedd Tripp writes:

There is a transcendent satisfaction in God which trials and difficulties cannot diminish and which success and pleasure cannot enhance. – Tedd Tripp (p.103, Instructing a Child’s Heart)

By faith, may we see the glory of Christ as revealed in the Gospel and be satisfied – and may we help our children to do the same.

From Thabiti Anyabwile:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3)

A little while ago we experienced an earthquake here in Grand Cayman. It was a 5.8 on the richter scale. We evacuated the church and school for a while, and many parents came by concerned. But, in the end, there is no damage and no loss of life. We humbly give God praise.

Haiti looms in the minds and hearts of many. Understandably so. With the quake, I’m reminded of two things:

1. The fleeting, flimsy quality of life is always a reality. In Sunday’s sermon, I tried to address this directly in light of the tragedy in Haiti. This Tuesday morning, the Lord did the illustrating himself by bringing it closer to home. I wonder how many will hear the words of Luke 13:3, 5 and obey: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish”?

2. It is the Lord who provides refuge in the times of trouble. We could run to other shelters, seek sturdy buildings,or even the cover of an open sky away from any structure. But buildings may be shaken down and the earth may be opened up beneath us. The only refuge is God. He is an “ever-present help” in trouble, so we who trust Him do not have to fear–come what may.

I pray that’s not an empty boast in any of our lives. I pray that we’re so gripped with the awesomeness of God that quakes and waves are mere trifles compared to His exceeding glory and strength. Only then will our hearts rest safely.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

An article from this blog last year:

***

The New Year is a great time to begin a Bible reading plan–and its not too late to start! If you start tomorrow, either spend an hour or two sometime soon reading your Bible and catching up OR just move your end date back to January 9, 2010. After all, our resolve to read and meditate on God’s Word does not depend on a date, but on the command of God to love and be devoted to His Word.

As the owner of a new ESV Study Bible, since last week I’ve been going through the plan at the back of the ESV Study Bible. The plan introduction reads as follows:

“This schedule of daily Bible readings is designed for reading through the entire Bible in one year. There are four readings each day. These readings are divided into four main sections: Psalms and Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch and the History of Israel; Chronicles and Prophets; and Gospels and Epistles.”

Now if you think that you might like to do this plan, but don’t own an ESV Study Bible, let me first encourage you to consider purchasing one as soon as you are able as this is the single most helpful supplemental aid for studying Holy Scripture that I am aware of. The hard cover version is available at our Resource Center. You can also purchase a copy here. And also for those who do not yet own an ESV Study Bible, you can download a copy of the Bible reading plan here. Also, click here for a list of 10 FREE downloadable Bible Reading Programs (Hat Tip: Between Two Worlds).

If you aren’t currently reading through the Bible in a systematic way, I would encourage you to start as soon as possible. Perhaps you have never done this before and are intimidated or perhaps have stopped and started before only to end discouraged. If that’s you, I remind you of the wise counsel of Mike Bullmore, a teacher of mine at the Sovereign Grace Pastors College and pastor of Crossway Church in Wisconsin. He said once — though I don’t remember what it was in reference to — “Anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly.” And so remember, even if you stop and start again several times and even if getting through your Bible reading plan takes you longer than a year, reading your Bible and meditating on your Bible is worth doing–even if you end up being less faithful than you might hope to be. And also as you proceed, don’t forget that your past doesn’t predict your future — faithlessness in the past doesn’t mean faithlessness in the future. For as the Apostle Paul has said, “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).” And it is in this hope that we confidently give ourselves to change. And it is for this reason that tomorrow is not too late to start a new Bible reading plan!

He was overwhelmed by the outer darkness. On the cross, He was in hell, totally bereft of the grace and the presence of God, utterly separated from all blessedness of the Father. He became a curse for us so that we one day will be able to see the face of God. God turned His back on His Son so that the light of His countenance will fall upon us. It’s no wonder Jesus screamed from the depths of His soul. – RC Sproul (Truth of the Cross, p.135)

In my devotions this morning, in my Bible reading plan I found myself reading the last few chapters of Joshua.  I was struck by the clarity of Joshua’s commands to the people about the way that they should live.  Here are a few examples:

“Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Joshua 22:5

“Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left.” – Joshua 23:6

“but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.” – Joshua 23:8

“Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.” – Joshua 23:11

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:14

Reading on into the first chapters in Judges, I was also struck by how the generation that followed Joshua’s generation abandoned the ways of the Lord.

After Joshua’s generation passed, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10).”  In the next two verses, we read that tragically, “the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.  And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt.  They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them.  And they provoked the Lord to anger (Joshua 2:11-12).”

The cumulative effect of this section of scripture on my soul this morning has been to produce fresh desire to:

• Be all the more careful to obey God’s commands
• To cultivate a deeper love for the Lord
• To cling to him with my whole heart
• To serve him with my whole heart
• To forsake all idols (links to CJ Mahaney’s sermon on idolatry)
• To not forget the work God has done on my behalf in and through the Gospel.
• To concern myself all the more with passing these values on to the next generation (links to a message by Jared Mellinger on passing along the values we hold dear to the next generation…this message was given to pastors, but has application to all Christians)

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, prior to his arrest, trial and crucifixion, Matthew records that Jesus said to his disciples, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death…(Matthew 26:38)”.  In praying to the Father, Jesus also said, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will (26:39).”

Here we see Jesus grief stricken, enduring sorrow deep enough to kill.  We see also that he is “temped to seek an alternative to the sin-bearing suffering as the route by which to fulfill his Father’s redemptive purposes… He prays in agony; and though he is supernaturally strengthened (Luke 22:43), he learns only that the Cross is unavoidable if he is to obey his Father’s will (D.A. Carson, p.544, Expositors Commentary).”

I am overwhelmed when I consider what the Savior went through for us and  look forward to praising Him with you all tomorrow!

This morning in my devotions I found myself in the course of my regular Bible reading in Matthew 7, where Jesus is continuing the Sermon on the Mount.  In the section on prayer (verses 7-11), I was struck by both the forcefulness of Jesus’ command to ask and the expectation Jesus says we should have  that God will answer our prayers : “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives…”

Eager for greater insight into the passage, I turned to a commentary by D.A. Carson on the book of Matthew.   Here are a few quotes that stood out:

…such praying is not for selfish ends but always for the glory of God according to kingdom concerns.    So here: the Sermon on the Mount lays down the righteousness, sincerity, humility, purity and love expected of Jesus’ followers; and now it assures them such gifts are theirs if sought through prayer.

The sermon has begun with acknowledgment of personal bankruptcy (5:3) and has already provided a model prayer (6:9-13).  Now (v.7) in three imperatives (ask, seek, knock)….Jesus assures his followers that, far from demanding the impossible, he is providing the means for the otherwise impossible .

…the best gifts, those advocated by the Sermon on the Mount, are available to ‘everyone’ (v.8) who persistently asks, seeks, and knocks.

What godly quality do you long to characterize your life, yet seems to evade you?  May I encourage you to not give up, but to ask, seek and knock…

Chris

Grief for sin, and joy in God’s forgiveness and the assurance of his love, are not far from each other, for the God who convicts of sin is the God of mercy who saves, and repenting of sin and trusting Christ for forgiveness are two sides of the same coin.  This two-sided, double-aspect turning to God is the basic discipline of each day’s Christian living, and it is in relation to one or the other facet of it that the most vivid realizings of God, and enlargings of our grip on him are likely to be given to us (JI Packer, A Passion For Faithfulness). 

Today I will be speaking from Ezra 9-10 on the subject of idolatry.  To help you apply today’s message, I wanted to provide a link to CJ Mahaney’s outline for a sermon he gave entitled “The Idol Factory.”  Click here to download the PDF.