My Theme Song

If I had to pick a theme song for my year it would be

If You Say Go

If You say go, we will go

If You say wait, we will wait

If You say step out on the water

And they say it can't be done

We'll fix our eyes on You and we will come

Your ways are higher than our ways

And the plans that You have laid

Are good and true

If You call us to the fire

You will not withdraw Your hand

We'll gaze into the flames and look for You

The Top 10 Truths that Changed my Life 2010

1. Growing in godliness is predominantly about desiring God above everything else.
Blaise Pascal one said, “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end.” By nature we live for what we value. Therefore, the battle ground of the Christian life is about what we desire. We are called to fight, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to value Jesus above all other things – then we’ll choose Him. As Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
DESIRING GOD BY JOHN PIPER, PSALM 16:11; PSALM 43:4; PSALM 119:103-104, 1 SAMUEL 12:21

2. Believers MUST memorize chapters and books of Scripture!
God’s Word says, “Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:2-3). You cannot meditate on Scripture day and night without having it committed to memory! Paul wrote “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (3:16) which requires reading and memorizing God’s word!
A CALL TO SCRIPTURE MEMORY BY SUSAN HECK, DEUT 6:6; DEUT 11:18, PSALM 119, ROMANS 12:2, AND SO MANY MORE!

3. You respond to the Gospel through repentance and faith for both justification and sanctification.
You will grow in Christ the same way that you came to Christ: Repentance and Faith. You must continually see and confess that you are a more wretched sinner than you thought, yet through faith in Jesus, you are more loved and accepted than you could have ever imagined! This is the Gospel – never move past it! The Gospel both immediately justifies and continually sanctifies you. This is why you need to preach the Gospel to yourself every day.
THE SLOPE OF REPENTANCE & FAITH FROM THE OAKS, THE CROSS CENTERED LIFE BY C.J. MAHANEY

4. You must constantly repent to yourself, to God, and when necessary to others.
Pervasive, all-of-life repentance is the best sign that you are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus. You must be resolved, as Jonathan Edwards was, to confess frankly to yourself, all which you find in yourself, either sickness or sin; and also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help [the Holy Spirit and the accountability of brothers and sisters in Christ].” You must ask yourself every night and every week: What sin have I repented of? Is there anyone I need to repent to or any sin that remains unconfessed?
ALL OF LIFE IS REPENTANCE BY TIM KELLER, THE RESOLUTIONS OF JONATHAN EDWARDS, ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS

5. Do not give authority to your feelings; they often arise from your flesh, which is totally depraved.
Martin Luther wisely said, "All natural inclinations are either without God or against him; therefore none are good.” The desires of your flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, so you must choose to walk by the Spirit. You cannot blindly trust your feelings. They often arise from the flesh and are therefore sinful. Always take your thoughts captive, question their aim (God or self), and reinterpret them through Scripture.
SEEING WITH NEW EYES BY DAVID POWLISON, FLESH CARTOON BY JOSHUA HARRIS, ROMANS 7, GALATIANS 5:16-24

6. You will live most freely when you believe that dying is gain.
Christ came to set you free, so that sin and death no longer have power over you (Galatians 5:1). “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:54-57). Christ bought your freedom, but you must now live in it. Look to Paul’s words in Philippians 1:20-26 as an example, primarily “For to me to live in Christ, and to die is gain” (v. 21). Do not allow yourself to be content with the level of your surrender to Christ until you learn to cry out as Esther did, “If I perish, I perish!” (v. 4:16).
DOING MISSIONS WHEN DYING IS GAIN BY JOHN PIPER, GALATIANS 5:1, 1 CORINTHIANS 15:54-57, PHILIPPIANS 1:20-26

7. Discipleship is a Biblical command so that our lives do not bring shame to God’s word.
Live as a Titus 2 Woman: “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women … that the word of God may not be reviled.” Scripture commands that women be discipled by qualified older women and disciple younger women, so that the word of God may not be despised.
TITUS 2:3-5, FEMININE APPEAL BY CAROLYN MAHANEY

8. Learn to treat the church like Jesus Christ’s beloved bride.
The local church is not meant to be treated with a critical, me-centered, non-committal, two-timer attitude. The Church is Christ’s bride and we must treat it as such - love it, speak well of it, serve it, give to it, and become a part of it. Joshua Harris writes, "The greatest motivation we could ever find for being passionately committed to the Church is that Jesus is passionately committed to the Church." As Christians we are called to be imitators of God (Eph 5:1) and to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). Therefore we must love the Church and put that passion into action by thinking globally and loving locally. Briefly put, stop dating the church and commit!
STOP DATING THE CHURCH BY JOSHUA HARRIS, WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH MEMBER BY THABITI ANABWILE 

9. When committing to a local church, you cannot afford to unwisely asses its healthiness!
Therefore, we cannot afford to unwisely asses the health of a church! We need to Biblically consider the crucial, deal-breaking, qualities of a church. Mark Dever writes that the 9 marks of a healthy church are: 1) Expositional Preaching 2) Biblical Theology 3) The Gospel 4) A Biblical Understanding of Conversion 5) Evangelism 6) Church Membership 7) Biblical Church Discipline 8) A Concern for Discipleship and Growth 9) Biblical Church Leadership.
9 MARKS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH AND WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH BY MARK DEVER

10. Please, read wisely.
A. Invest in a study Bible and learn how to use it. Don’t settle for a diet of predigested truth (Christian books). Read your Bible more than you read anything else. 2 TIMOTHY 3:16, HEBREWS 4:12
B. The New Testament is written to an audience well versed in the Old Testament; therefore you cannot compromise your time reading and understanding the Old Testament.
C. Know the authors of the Christian books you read. Find-out their beliefs, publishings, reputation and legacy. If their life isn’t worth emulating, read a different book. HEBREWS 13:7, 3 JOHN 1:11

BIG Bibles Humor

There are sooo many LOL lyrics in this song!!!

Do you desire God?

Austin shared a video clip of Paul Washer's preaching that is well worth passing-on.  Washer's message is super refreshing and convicting. He poses so many soul-searching questions that we all need to be answering.  Take 7 minutes and listen to it...



How would you answer Washer's question, Do you desire God?

For Austin's (Voice Among Scoffers) full post about Paul Washer click here.

A wonderful Hymn

Take Time to Be Holy

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
    Abide in him always, and feed on his Word.
Make friends of God's children; help those who are weak;
    Forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
    Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be;
    Thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let him by thy guide,
    And run not before him, whatever betide;
In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord,
    And, looking to Jesus, still trust in his Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
    Each thought and each motive beneath his control;
Thus led by his Spirit to fountains of love,
    Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Author: William D. Longstaff, 1887

T4G 2010 Sermons!

Together for the Gospel, T4G 2010 sermons about are now posted!

Click here to download messages from: 
Mark Dever The Church is the Gospel Made Visible (A-mazing!!!) 
RC Sproul The Defense and Confirmation of the Gospel — What I Have Learned in 50 years
Albert Mohler How Does it Happen? Trajectories Toward an Adjusted Gospel
Thabiti Anyabwile ‘Fine-Sounding Arguments’ — How Wrongly ‘Engaging the Culture’ Adjusts the Gospel
John MacArthur The Theology of Sleep! 

John Piper Did Jesus Preach Paul’s Gospel?

Where You Lead Me - I Will Follow

In God's perfect timing a door was opened for me to serve in Haiti this summer.  I'm very thankful that God's sovereignty steered me towards this door... a door which I never anticipated to find myself at.  However, as I was on the phone earlier (being told for the first time, 'we want to send you overseas') a song came to mind.  I absent-mindedly doodled the lyrics across a pink sheet of scrap paper, and then I looked down and realized what I had written....

Here's the song that ran through my head:

Where You Lead Me

What is life?

A thousand roads, a thousand ways

Why am I so afraid to move

I crossed the line

I'm stepping out so come what may

I give it all cause I'm drawn to You

As long as my heart is beating...

Where You lead me I will follow

Where You lead me I give my life away

Where You lead me I will follow

Forever and a day

Forever and a day

God closed every other door along my path, because He wanted to bring me to this one.  With my heart racing and soul singing I will follow Jesus to Haiti this summer.

Oh, and my heart has not changed for India and the 10/40 window, but that's what prayer and patience are for :)

Chandler on Sanctification

Yesterday I listened to Matt Chandler's sermon about Sanctification in Marriage.  It's the 7th sermon in Chandler's Path series.  Chandler's main text is 1 Peter 3, which can easily make women shut-down, walk out, and grumble in defiance.  However, Chandler's purpose in preaching through this passage is beautiful, if we'll just give him a chance:

I want to talk this morning about the relationship between husbands and wives and how, in Jesus Christ, we get back to Genesis 2, which says of the man and woman, “They were naked and unashamed.” And don’t think “naked” in regards to physical nakedness (although that’s great), but rather think in terms of them having nothing to hide. So how do we get a man and a woman in the confines of marriage back to the place where they have nothing to hide from one another and they don’t walk or operate in any shame? So Jesus is going to purchase that for us in His cross, and then He’s going to lead us that way by giving us commands that we are to obey and, in obedience to those commands, we line ourselves up with how He designed things to work for our joy and His glory. Now I don’t know this year that I will get into a more controversial text than the one that I’m about to be in. It flies in the face of almost everything our culture believes and tries to operate in. So here’s what I need you to promise me. I’m fine with you getting offended, and I’m fine with you getting angry. What I’m saying is don’t turn me off until we’re done unpacking it. Don’t just hear certain words and go, “Oh no, he didn’t!” Just give me my 45-50 minutes, let me unpack this thing and then if you want to leave and never come back, I really am okay with that. But don’t turn me off until we’re done here. Because God’s appeal to you as wives and God’s appeal to you as husbands is not about your begrudging submission, it’s about your joy. So what’s at stake here is your joy. So my prayer is that you would be hedonistic enough to listen and here.

Matt Chandler is the lead pastor at The Village Church, in Dallas, TX.  The Village is part of the Acts 29 Network, directed by Scott Thomas.

To download other sermons by Matt Chandler (who, by God's grace, is an amazingly gifted pastor), click here.

Prayer and going to Haiti

A few weeks ago I read Wayne Grudem's chapter on Prayer from Sytematic Theology.  Since then I have meditated upon the power and importance of praying according to God's will.  Upon this topic Grudem points us to Jesus' example, "Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your will be done" (Matt 6:10), and he himself gives us an example, by praying in the garden of Gethsemane, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matt 26:39)" (p 382).  Jesus' soul was troubled and sorrowful, even to death, driving him to fall on his face in prayer!  This is a posture of abject humility, from which Jesus lays his life before his Father in complete honesty and surrender - solidifying the earnestness of his words "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."  Even in Jesus' most earnest and sorrowful prayers, he surrenders entirely to God's will as his ultimate request.

How should Jesus' example translate into my life?  Prayer is not just about getting what I want, but about making my requests known to God (my loving Father) while seeking that my desires align with His will.  We are told to delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will gives us the desires of our heart.  When our hearts desire what is godly and pure, He is able to bless us by fulling our requests, if that is His sovereign will.  Concerning God's response to our prayers Grudem writes:

Sometimes God will grant what we have asked.  Sometimes he will give us deeper understanding or change our hearts so that we are led to ask something differently.  Sometimes he will not grant our request at all but will simply indicate to us that we must submit to his will (see 2 Cor 12:9-10).

Concerning Grudem's last point, God, in His wisdom, at times will not grant our requests, teaching us to submit to his will.  In 2 Corinthians Paul repetitively pleaded with the Lord to remove a thorn from his flesh.  God's response was one of fatherly authority, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  To this, Paul responds, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong" (8-10).  Paul grew in a more accurate view of both himself and God as he learned submission and humility in light of God's supremacy.

For months I have prayed for an opportunity to go to Mumbai, India this summer.  I asked, and I kept on asking.  I followed God's word when He said, "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Luke 11:9).  I knocked, and I kept on knocking.  But God did not answer my requests by granting me what I had asked.  He did not grant my request at all.  Rather, He indicated that I must submit to His sovereignty and be willing to go anywhere.  So, now I'm left following Paul's example - being content with God's response, although it is not what I had hoped for.

It seems that God is leading me, not towards Mumbai, but towards Haiti this summer.  I feel ill-prepared, uncertain, and confused.   Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  The redemption of the world, and of a people to Himself, are God's plans and desires.  He cares and knows far more about His redemption than I'm capable of.  Thus, I can trust that His plans are far better than my own.  As Jesus exemplified, I also now say, "not as I will, but as you will."

An Intolerable Inequity

I was struck by John Piper's words in his article: A Passion for Missions in the Men Who Stay.  On November 14, 1983, Piper wrote:

I cannot get over the fact that there are more churches in the Twin Cities than there are Protestant North American missionaries to 1,930,000,000 Muslim, Hindu, Han Chinese and Buddhist people who have not been reached by the gospel. “To whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Surely this implies that churches and denominations with many members and many ministers should be giving many of these people to cultures which have virtually no gospel witness. I cannot see how we can go on with business as usual while this intolerable inequity exists: 650 Protestant North American missionaries minister to 1,930 million unreached people, while 1,000,000 Christian workers in America minister to 200 million people, most of whom are already reached. How will the church give an account of itself to the Lord?!

For the rest of John Piper's article click here.

That means that within America the ratio of Christian laborers to nonbelievers is 1:200.  Simultaneous, the ratio of laborers to unreached overseas is 1:2,969,230.  Do we not see the injustice we impose on the world through our selfishness?!  Our comforts and blessings have made us lazy and indifferent, yet Luke 12:48 is still true.  "To who much is given, from him much will be required."  And, really, why wouldn't we want to?  Do we not truly love others?  We are commanded to love God and love others... but true love is shown through deed and in truth.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)

Our nation is growing obese with not only fast food, but also with Christianity.  We have more churches and Bibles than we know what to do with, yet we become complacent when we should be compelled forward in deed and truth.   Will we dare pray that God will send laborers into the harvest, and that we might be part of God's answer to that very prayer???

Theological Humor that makes me LOL

Two videos that make me LOL. Don't take them too seriously... just enjoy!

GREAT NEWS!

Covenant Theological Seminary accepted me to the Masters of Counseling Program for the fall of 2010!!!  How sweet and true are the words of Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

It's been sooo-ooh sweet trusting and waiting on the Lord's timing. And, Lord willing, in 5 months I'll start counseling classes at Covenant in St. Louis!! I'm so thrilled!!!

Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions

My roommate and I recently designed a prayer & scripture memorization board in our apartment so that we can better spur one another on towards the Lord.  However, it wasn't complete until we added a Theologian(s) of the week section so that can continually learn from and emulate the great saints from church history.  This week we chose to study, discuss, and thank God for the lives and ministries of Sarah and Jonathan Edwards.  Therefore, this weeks posts will include writing by, or inspired by, this godly puritan couple.  (I write this all with dead earnestness, although I'm sure this is amusing to many, and therefore I do simultaneously humor myself through it, and am always the better off for laughing.)

As I have read about Jonathan Edwards, the wisdom and discipline of his Resolutions has most greatly impressed me.  Edwards wrote a lengthy list of resolutions in his early 20's, and then disciplined himself to read through them once a week as a practice of closely examining his soul before the Lord.  We could all take a good lesson from Edwards about discipline, self-examination, and godliness.

His Resolutions have been recorded in volume one of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.  (I especially enjoy #5, #6, #18, #25, #28, #56, #60, #65, and #70)  They read as follows:

Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved, so to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

2. Resolved, To be continually endeavouring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the forementioned things.

3. Resolved, If ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, Never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God, nor be, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.

5. Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, To live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, To act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings, as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. Vid. July 30.

9. Resolved, To think much, on all occasions, of my dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

11. Resolved, When I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder. xxi

12. Resolved, If I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

13. Resolved, To be endeavouring to find out fit objects of liberality and charity.

14. Resolved, Never to do any thing out of revenge.

15. Resolved, Never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.

16. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

17. Resolved, That I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

18. Resolved, To live so, at all times, as I think is best in my most devout frames, and when I have the clearest notions of the things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, To maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

21. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.

22. Resolved, To endeavour to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigour, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

23. Resolved, Frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs, and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’s glory, to repute it as a breach of the fourth Resolution.

24. Resolved, Whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavour to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, To examine carefully and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and so direct all my forces against it.

26. Resolved, To cast away such things as I find do abate my assurance.

27. Resolved, Never wilfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

28. Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

29. Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.

30. Resolved, To strive every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

31. Resolved, Never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of christian honour, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said any thing against any one, to bring it to, and try it strictly by, the test of this Resolution.

32. Resolved, To be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Prov. xx. 6. ‘A faithful man, who can find?’ may not be partly fulfilled in me.

33. Resolved, To do always what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without an overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.

34. Resolved, In narrations, never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.

35. Resolved, Whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.

36. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call to it. Dec. 19, 1722.

37. Resolved, To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,—what sin I have committed,—and wherein I have denied myself;—also, at the end of every week, month, and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.

38. Resolved, Never to utter any thing that is sportive, or matter of laughter, on a Lord’s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.

39. Resolved, Never to do any thing, of which I so much question the lawfulness, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.

40. Resolved, To inquire every night before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

42. Resolved, Frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism, which I solemnly renewed when I was received into the communion of the church, and which I have solemnly re-made this 12th day of January, 1723.

43. Resolved, Never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s; agreeably to what is to be found in Saturday, Jan. 12th. Jan. 12, 1723.

44. Resolved, That no other end but religion shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. Jan. 12, 1723.

45. Resolved, Never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.

46. Resolved, Never to allow the least measure of any fretting or uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved, to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye; and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.

47. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving, and sincere, temper; and to do, at all times, what such a temper would xxii lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have so done. Sabbath morning, May 5, 1723.

48. Resolved, Constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.

49. Resolved, That this never shall be, if I can help it.

50. Resolved, That I will act so, as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.

51. Resolved, That I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, That I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.

53. Resolved, To improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

54. Resolved, Whenever I hear anything spoken in commendation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, that I will endeavour to imitate it. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, so to act, as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven and hell torments. July 8, 1723.

56. Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

57. Resolved, When I fear misfortunes and adversity, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it and let the event be just as Providence orders it. I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13, 1723.

58. Resolved, Not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness, and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.

59. Resolved, When I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.

60. Resolved, Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4 and 13, 1723.

61. Resolved, That I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it—that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, &c. May 21, and July 13, 1723.

62. Resolved, Never to do any thing but my duty, and then, according to Eph. vi. 6-8. to do it willingly and cheerfully, as unto the Lord, and not to man: knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall be receive of the Lord. June 25, and July 13, 1723.

63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true lustre, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, To act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. Jan. 14, and July 13, 1723.

64. Resolved, When I find those ”groanings which cannot be uttered,“ of which the apostle speaks, and those ”breathings of soul for the longing it hath,” of which the psalmist speaks, Psalm cxix. 20. that I will promote them to the utmost of my power; and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavouring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and Aug. 10, 1723.

65. Resolved, Very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness of which I am capable, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him, all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance, according to Dr. Manton’s Sermon on the 119th Psalm,. July 26, and Aug. 10, 1723.

66. Resolved, That I will endeavour always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking, in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.

67. Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them; what good I have got by them; and, what I might have got by them.

68. Resolved, To confess frankly to myself, all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

69. Resolved, Always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.

70. Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak. Aug. 17, 1723.

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Living When Dying is Gain

Nearly 6 months ago I was asked if I would be willing to go anywhere for the sake of the Gospel.  To my shame, my thoughts silently echoed a cold and fearful no.  I lived in my hope of the perfect life of seminary, marriage, comfort, leisure, success, vacation, and throw pillows.  My joy was shifting ever closer as my dreams seemed to be evolving into reality on earth.  I prayed for the things I wanted just as often as I prayed against the inconveniences I detested.

In the short months since then, God mercifully tore away my hope and joy; replacing it with His truth, His hope, and His joy.  Through out this season, I have much more deeply resonated with the words of the forefathers and saints through-out Scripture.  I am particularly thankful for Paul's words to the saints in Philippi as he expresses:

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.  Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.  I am hard pressed between the two.  My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again (1:20-26).

Because of the power of Jesus' death and resurrection Paul did not allow himself to be handicapped or enslaved by anything, even the thought of his own death.  Paul pursued an eternal desire that Christ would be honored in his body, whether by life or by death.  Therefore, his life was devoted to a labor of love for God and for others which abounded in fruitful service.  The influence and ministry Paul claimed has been outweighed by few through-out history.  Nevertheless, Paul valued his life as rubbish in comparison to the presence of Jesus Christ after death.  This is not to say that Paul was disgusted by his life.  Rather, the opposite.  Paul found great joy in life, but it simply could not compare to the immeasurable riches in Christ Jesus.  As a result, he lived in more freedom than most men or women will ever fathom.

Paul's words guide me as I consider the true and joyful meaning of Easter.  Just as Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ conquering death, his children also no longer need to fear the sting of death.  In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he writes:

Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (15:54b-57).

This morning at The Oaks Community Church, Pastor Kevin taught from this passage.  As Kevin preached I was refreshed by the freedom that God has provided us in Christ.  Through Jesus' resurrection from the grave, death was swallowed up in victory and it can no longer poison our lives.  We have true, eternal life in Christ that cannot be stolen by the venom of death.  "For I am sure that neither death nor life... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39).  Nothing can prevent God from being glorified in my body, not even death.  Therefore, I need not fear man, pain, or death.  Only God is worthy of our fear as well as our eternal praise.

God's grace can not be contained any more than joy in Christ can be killed.  Christ rose from the grave, which is why all of His children rejoice together on this sweet Easter Sunday.

Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying Savior. - C.H. Spurgeon

I thank God that my answer today is much different.  YES - I would joyfully, humbly, and willing go anywhere for the sake of the Gospel.  Where the Lord leads is the best place for me to be.  I would fear going any other direction.