Wise Or Foolish?

Fools mock at the guilt offering,
but the upright enjoy acceptance. Proverbs 14:9

Fascinating and instructive.

Translation: The fool--in Proverbs, the one who obeys his own instincts and resists any word outside his own little internal world of self-generated impulses--rejects and ridicules the notion of substitution. The upright--literally 'the straight,' those whose self-perception is not skewed through stubborn autonomy--enjoy the release of atoned guilt, which breathes new life into them.

Wisdom: opening yourself up to an offering made on your behalf.

Interesting, too, that the guilt offering was the offering that dealt with unintentional guilt (see Lev 5-7). It was the offering sought out by those who knew that their waywardness went well beyond their own immediate moral awareness. It was the offering appreciated by the wise.

. . . how much more will the blood of Christ . . .' --Hebrews 9:14
Dane Ortlund

Kill Your Jesus Talisman

I can win any slam dunk contest through him who gives me strength. If I will ask God for the ability to do so "in Jesus' name," of course.

When I was a kid I had a poster of Philippians 4:13 -- "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" -- with a photo of a guy dunking a basketball. You can bet I thought long and hard about how Jesus was gonna help me dunk on some fools.

Paul wrote the letter to the church at Philippi from jail. Chapter 4, verse 13 may sound like it needs to be slapped on whatever the Christian equivalent of a PowerBar is, but Paul was not talking about Jesus being our genie, but Jesus being our satisfaction in all situations, whether rich or poor, free or enslaved, healthy or sick, successful or getting dunked on. Wherever our promised trouble-full life finds us, we will persevere only in Christ.

Similarly, Jeremiah 29:11 is a great verse, but it's not an affirmation of the American dream. It's an affirmation of God's predestining purposes even when the American dream crashes down around us and we are crushed. You can put it on a coffee cup, I s'pose, but don't throw it away when you're on the streets and you need it to beg for change. The verse will still be true.

Jesus is no talisman. Crucify "Jesus as key to your personal achievement" and he will stay dead. But the real Jesus achieves a victory greater and far superior to any wish-dream of any man. He is life itself, and life eternal. Worship that Jesus.
Jared Wilson

Keep Reading

Generation after generation has read the insights of its writers. This is why fresh statements of old truth are always needed. Without them people will read error.
Daniel Webster once said, "If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will."1
Millions of people are going to read. If they don't read contemporary Christian books, they are going to read contemporary secular books. They will read.
It is amazing to watch people in the airports. At any given moment there must be hundreds of thousands of people reading just in airports. One of the things we Christians need to be committed to, besides reading, is giving away solid books to those who might read them, but would never buy them.
The ripple effect is incalculable. Consider this illustration: A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others.2
It seems to me that in a literate culture like ours, where most of us know how to read and where books are available, the Biblical mandate is: keep on reading what will open the Holy Scriptures to you more and more. And keep praying for Bible-saturated writers. There are many great old books to read. But each new generation needs its own writers to make the message fresh. Read and pray. And then obey.
Notes:
[1] Ernest Reisinger, 'Every Christian a Publisher,' Free Grace Broadcaster, Issue 51, Winter, 1995, p. 17.
[2] 'Every Christian a Publisher,' p. 18.
From John Piper’s desiringGod website, February 20, 2002.

The Right and Wrong Questions to Ask When You Get Cancer

Kate Sunday—the wife of my pastor and fellow-elder David Sunday—was recently diagnosed with advanced thymoma. She is 40 years old, and they have three children in the home.
Walking alongside them through this has been both painful and encouraging. Painful to see our dear sister suffering and to see the effects of the Fall in her life—encouraging to see their unwavering confidence in God’s goodness and the truth and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
On her Caring Bridge site the other day (quoted with permission), she wrote something that’s crucial to remember in times like this:

David has been leading me in this journey. When we first entered the hospital on Jan. 29th and began learning that there was a strong suspicion that I have cancer, a great fear sought to grip our hearts. Right away David began speaking to me and reminding me of God’s goodness. He challenged me to stay away from the “why” questions.

Why me?
Why now?
Why when my children are still so young? . . .

He reminded me that those questions may not ever be answered on this side of eternity, and will lead me to confusion, despair, and bitterness against God. I am so grateful that David is a strong and compassionate leader.
Instead, he challenged me to focus in on the “who, what, and how” of the situation.

Who are you, Lord?
What do you want to teach us about Yourself?
And, how do you want to use us for Your glory?

Amen.
Please pray for the Sundays, that God would continue to keep them faithful and that God would heal Kate from this cancer.
Justin Taylor

From the “Rules and Precepts Observed at Harvard College”, dated September 26, 1642:

“Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Proverbs 2, 3).”
Miscellanies

How to solve most Windows PC Problems

John Pipers Father's advice to him about becoming a Pastor

Now I want you to remember a few things about the pastorate. Being a pastor today involves more than merely teaching and preaching. You’ll be the comforter of the fatherless and the widow. You’ll counsel constantly with those whose homes and hearts are broken. You’ll have to handle divorce problems and a thousand marital situations. You’ll have to exhort and advise young people involved in sordid and illicit sex, with drugs and violence. You’ll have to visit the hospitals, the shut-ins, the elderly. A mountain of problems will be laid on your shoulders and at your doorstep.
And then there’s the heartache of ministering to a weak and carnal and worldly, apathetic group of professing Christians, very few of whom will be found trustworthy and dependable.
Then there a hundred administrative responsibilities as pastor. You’re the generator and sometimes the janitor. The church will look to you for guidance in building programs, church growth, youth activities, outreach, extra services, etc. You’ll be called upon to arbitrate all kinds of problems. At times you will feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. Many pastors have broken under the strain.
If the Lord has called you, these things will not deter nor dismay you. But I wanted you to know the whole picture. As in all of our Lord’s work there will be a thousand compensations. You’ll see that people trust Christ as Savior and Lord. You’ll see these grow in the knowledge of Christ and his Word. You’ll witness saints enabled by your preaching to face all manner of tests. You’ll see God at work in human lives, and there is no joy comparable to this. Just ask yourself, son, if you are prepared not only to preach and teach, but also to weep over men’s souls, to care for the sick and dying, and to bear the burdens carried today by the saints of God.
No matter what, I’ll back you all the way with my encouragement and prayers.

What Happens If You Preach a False Gospel?

The gospel: distorted;

God: deserted;

the preacher: damned.

(Gal. 1:6-9)

British Conservative Smacks Down the Bailout Mentality

European Parliament speech of 26/03/09. Daniel Hannan is a Conservative MEP for the South East of England and author of The Plan: Twelve Months to Renew Britain.
He could have talking To President Obama and the Democrats in Congress.

Interesting Solution To Anger Problems

The scripture says we are to get rid of anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language and quit lying to each other. Jonathan Edwards, the third president of Princeton and America's greatest thinker, had a daughter with an ungovernable temper. A young man fell in love with this daughter and sought her hand in marriage.
"You can't have her," was the abrupt answer of Jonathan Edwards,
"But I love her," the young man replied.
"You can't have her," said Edwards.
"But she loves me," replied the young man.
Again Edwards said, "You can't have her."
"Why?" asked the young man.
"Because she is not worthy of you."
"But," he asked, "she is a Christian, is she not?"
"Yes, she is a Christian, but the grace of God can live with some people with whom no one else could ever live."