Quote: #27

"...if we think we are usually good, then God is usually irrelevant." - Edward Welch

Happy 4th

Blessings,
PB

Prayer About Weekness

I came across this prayer today...it was posted by Scotty Smith five days after the sermon I preach on from the same text:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Dear heavenly Father, as I meditate on these words of Paul, I vacillate between feelings of anger and relief. For as a young follower of Jesus, I wasn’t taught to delight in weakness, rather to despise weakness… to deny weakness… to demonize weakness… to de-throne weakness. That’s why I totally understand Martin Luther’s statement that “bad theology is the worst taskmaster of all.” For I’ve suffered much under the merciless whip of several gospel distortions.

It was all about “the victorious Christian life”—overcoming and not underachieving… kind of like having a Type-A personality on spiritual steroids. I didn’t think in terms of sufficient grace, I wanted replacement grace—getting rid of anything unpleasant in my life.

Thank you, Father, for rescuing me from this and other misrepresentations of life in Christ. Thank you for the godly men and women you’ve brought into my life over the years—the humble and courageous servants of Jesus who’ve help me understand the true riches of the gospel and the way of the cross. Increase their tribe, Lord, increase their tribe.

Father, I know I’m not to be defined by my weakness and brokenness, but I realize more than ever, that’s where Jesus meets me. I have no ability to change my heart. I very much want your power to rest on me… I very much need for your power to rest on me. I am desperate for all the sufficient grace you will give me.

As you continue to humble and gentle my heart, greatly increase my compassion towards others in their weakness and brokenness. Forgive my irritation, impatience and avoidance of people whose need is much greater than my supply.

What a wonderful, merciful Savior you are, Jesus. Indeed, it was because you embraced the weakness of the cross that I can gladly boast in the weaknesses of my life and the more-than-sufficient supply of your grace. What a most profound, liberating and hope-filled paradox. So very Amen, I pray, in your holy and loving name.

What Is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel? from Southern Seminary on Vimeo.

The Gospel for Believers.

B. B. Warfield on why the gospel is needed for believers:

There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be true as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.

Blessings,
P. B.

Too Good Not to Share.

I am reading the book for which this little add was made. The thought behind it is too good not to share...even if you don't decide to read the book for which it was made.

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

Blessings,
PB

Why So Much Cross Talk?

As written by Chris Tomlinson:

At the cross…

…We see God’s sovereignty—reigning with absolute control over humanity’s greatest sin.

…We see God’s purpose—making known the mystery of His will prepared before time.

…We see God’s plan—to unite all things, on heaven and on earth, in Him.

…We see God’s judgment—requiring recompense for guilt.

…We see God’s holiness—demanding the perfect sacrifice.

…We see God’s power—crushing the Son of God according to the purpose of His will.

…We see God’s wrath—punishing the wretchedness of sin.

…We see God’s sorrow—wailing as only a forsaken son can.

…We see God’s mystery—the Son, as God, separated from the Father, committing His Spirit to God.

…We see God’s compassion—pleading to the Father to forgive the ignorant.

…We see God’s gift—His one and only Son, bruised and broken on our behalf.

…We see God’s mercy—making unrighteous sinners righteous.

…We see God’s love—Christ dying for sinners.

…We see God’s rescue operation—delivering us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His Son.

…We see God’s proposal—pledging Himself to His bride forever.

…We see God’s revelation—the Word of God speaking His last so He might speak on behalf of many.

…We see God’s victory—disarming His enemies, putting them to shame, and triumphing over them.

…We see God’s glory—the name of the Father being magnified for the sake of all peoples.

Blessings,
PB

Three Worthy Morning Prayers.

Paul Tripp suggests these three prayers for starting out a day:

1) "God, I'm a man in desperate need of help today,"

2) "I pray that in your grace you would send your helpers my way,"

3) "Lord, please give me he humility to receive help when it comes."

Blessings,
PB

Sanctity of Human Life.

99 Balloons from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

All Praise To The Name

Shai Linne with "Spread His Fame." from Grace EV Free on Vimeo.