I hate to admit that the title of this blog post too often describes my household. I never (or at least it seems that way to me) lose my temper with my wife, my staff, or my congregation. But sadly, I too often feel (and act?) like that little Anger guy from Inside Out when it comes to my kids. Too many frustrated sighs and raised voices and sharp tones (and that’s just from the parents!).
In Ephesians 6:4, God tells fathers—though I think it’s okay for moms to listen in—to raise children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. He also warns against provoking our children to anger. So how do we do one without the other? How do we discipline exasperating kids without in turn exasperating them unnecessarily?
To read the rest of this article by Kevin DeYoung click HERE
Pondering the Word – Acts 1:21-26
So evidently the 2 guys that were being considered to replace Judas as an apostle had been a part of Jesus’ entourage from the very beginning of his public ministry (vs.21-22). Already they had been passed over once to be a part of Jesus’ team of 12. But, nevertheless, they continued to demonstrate faithfulness and love for Jesus and ministry despite what we might would consider major rejection. It would have only been natural to ask questions like, “Why did Jesus pick him and not me?”, or “What’s wrong with me that I didn’t make the team?”
Fast forward 3 three years and now an opening on the team has come available. Matthias and Barsabbas have been nominated and after prayer and the casting of lots (which is a interesting way to determine God’s will) Matthias is chosen and again Barsabbas is not.
At this point nothing else is said in Scripture about either of these guys. So nothing definitive can be said about how they reacted and responded. But here’s what I suspect. I suspect that Matthias accepted his new role as an apostle with grace and humility and trust in the sovereignty of God. And I suspect that Barsabbas accepted not being chosen with grace and humility and trust in the sovereignty of God. Why do I suspect this? For two reasons: 1) They had been hanging around Jesus for the last 3 years and seen Him model grace and humility and trust in the sovereignty of God. 2) Their track record suggests this as well. Even when they were not chosen the first time they still followed closely and proved themselves to be not just tag alongs who wanted glory and recognition but disciples who were willing to “lose their lives” for the sake of the gospel.
There are several lessons to be learned here when we face rejection and disappointment.
1) Rejoice with those who rejoice – Human nature makes it difficult to celebrate other people’s successes when we experience defeat. The gospel however makes it possible for us to do so because of the Spirit of God dwelling within us. Not necessarily easy, because we are always fighting against our sin nature… but possible as we abide in Christ.
2) Remain faithful – It is a test of our character to remain faithful in the midst of defeat and disappointment. It has often been said that you can learn much more about a person’s character from the way they handle disappointment than from the way they handle success. Barsabbas was evidently a man of great character.
3) Grace, humility, and trust in the sovereignty of God are the fruit of those who are followers of Jesus.
We do not know much about either of these guys – but no doubt the reason that they were even considered was because for several years the other disciples had recognized that they both had what it takes to do the job of apostle. My guess is that even though Barsabbas was not chosen to be an official apostle that he did the work of an apostle without the title or recognition. That says a lot about the man!
Quotes Worth Pondering – Augustine of Hippo
Here are 3 quotes from Augustine of Hippo – if you are unfamiliar with him you can read a brief bio HERE.
“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
“I was in misery, and misery is the state of every soul overcome by friendship with mortal things and lacerated when they are lost. Then the soul becomes aware of the misery which is its actual condition even before it loses them.”
“For what am I to myself without You, but a guide to my own downfall?”
Articles Worth Pondering – What Does the Bible Say About Transgenderism?
Some would argue that the Bible says nothing about the explosion of the transgender phenomenon in the Western world. After all, there is no verse that says, “Thou shalt not transition from a man to a woman.” But neither are there any verses that talk explicitly about gun violence, anorexia, waterboarding, fossil fuels, vaccines, GMOs, HMOs, or Pokemon Go. We should not expect the Bible to speak in 21st century terms to every 21st-century eventuality.
But that hardly means the Bible provides no guidance for Christians trying to make sense of our transgender moment. In fact, when it comes to transgenderism, the Bible actually has a lot to say—not by a prooftext here or there but by a rich and pervasive understanding of gender and sexual identity….
To read the rest of this article by Kevin DeYoung click HERE
Pondering the Word – John 17
In John 17 we see Jesus praying within hours of his arrest and subsequent journey to the cross. He knows that His death is imminent. This got me thinking. If I had my family gathered around me and I knew that I would soon die – and I had one last opportunity to pray for them – what would I pray? There are 5 things in this passage that Jesus prays both for His disciples and all believers that I think are very instructive in this regard. But I would not limit these prayers to death bed supplications. I would pray them regularly for those who are near and dear to us.
He prayed for protection from the evil one (v.11, 15) – Note that he was not just praying that they would be safe while traveling or protected from disease and dis-ease. Jesus knew they were in for the fight of their life – that a spiritual battle was being waged around them. One of my favorite quotes by John Piper goes like this: “You will never know what prayer is for until you know that life is war.” Protection from the evil one is a great prayer to pray.
He prayed that they would be filled with ever-increasing joy (v. 13) – Jesus was not praying that they would be happy. He was praying something much better. He knew that they would face much difficulty in the days ahead. He prayed that in the midst of the harshness of life that they would be filled and fueled with the joy of the Lord. And that this joy would then sustain them through everything that they would face. Joy in the Lord is a great prayer to pray.
He prayed that they would be sanctified by the Word of God (v.17) – To be sanctified means to be made holy. We were justified when God saved us and now He is in the process of sanctifying us – getting us ready for the day that we will be glorified upon death as we are escorted into the presence of the Lord – the Holy One! The Word of God is not only God’s primary instrument of salvation; it is also His primary instrument of sanctification. Jesus was praying that God would use His Word to daily make His disciples more and more holy. Sanctified by the Word is a great prayer to pray.
He prayed that they would enjoy unity as group (v.23) – There is nothing that turns unbelievers away from the church more than when they see believers who can’t get along with one another. Why would anyone want to be a follower of Jesus when Jesus’ followers don’t even like each other? So Jesus prayed that his followers would “be one as we are one.” There was a glorious unity among the persons of the Trinity that exemplified the unity believers are to have with one another. Unity is a great prayer to pray.
He prayed that they would experience God’s incredible love (v.26) – It is one thing to know that God love’s you. it is yet another thing to enjoy and experience the width and length and height and depth of the love of God – this love that surpasses all knowledge (Ephesians 3:18-19). This is what Jesus’ wanted for His followers. So he prayed for them diligently in this regard because He knew that they needed this as they prepared for the mission that they were about to embark on. Experiencing God’s love is a great prayer to pray.
5 great ways to pray for those we love and care for. So let’s do more than just know what we should pray for – let’s actually pray!
Quotes Worth Pondering: Jon Bloom
When are we most prayerful and faithful? When we keenly feel our desperation for God, like we can’t live without him. And we are most vulnerable to sin when we don’t feel that way.
Articles Worth Pondering – “Lord Keep Me Desperate”
Many of us love Robert Robertson’s hymn “Come Thou Fount” because of these lines:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for thy courts above.
We understand this. We all keenly feel our proneness to wander from the God we love. And we all want this terrible proneness to decrease.
So if we sing this hymn seriously and in faith — really wanting God to keep us from wandering so we persevere and make it to his heavenly courts — what are we asking God for? What does losing our proneness to wander look like?
(To read the rest of this article by Jon Bloom click HERE)
Pondering the Word – John 11
I have always loved the story of Lazarus. There is so much drama and humor and theology and practical faith lessons in this passage that it begs to be pondered again and again. But I often let my sanctified imagination run wild when I read this chapter and start thinking about “the rest of the story.”
Fast forward 30 years after this event takes place. Church tradition (not Scripture) tells us that Lazarus lived at least this long. I picture Lazarus and Martha and Mary at a family reunion with a bunch of their grandkids hanging around when the oldest grand youngun pipes up and says, “Grandpa Lazzie, tell us one your stories about when you and your sisters were hanging out with Jesus.” Lazarus leans back in his chair as his eyes start to sparkle and a smile creeps up on his face and says, “OK kids, tonight I’ll tell you my favorite story – and if it had not happened to me I probably wouldn’t even believe it myself.”
I was just a young man, this was before I was married, mind you, and I had gotten real sick. I knew that Martha and Mary were real worried about me when I heard that they had sent word for our friend Jesus to get here as soon as he could. I felt bad. As bad as I had ever felt in my life. And then I felt nothing at all. You see kids, I died that day. Really, honest to goodness, actually died. They tell me that everybody was crying and really sad that I had died so they started making preparations right away for my burial. They also tell me that Jesus did not get there before I died and that they were kind of mad at him about that. But I didn’t know any of that. I just heard about it after…. but wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.
So they got my dead body ready for burial before it started to decay. They put lots of ointments and spices on me and then wrapped me up tight like a mummy with what is known as burial cloths. Then they put me in our family tomb and rolled a big stone over the entrance. Evidently I lay there all wrapped up like that for about 4 days while the family continued to grieve.
And then Jesus showed up.
Now my last memory before I died was of how terrible I felt – of just wanting the pain to go away, and of hearing my sisters crying over me and telling me how much they loved me. My first memory after Jesus showed up was of how good I felt except for the fact that I couldn’t see or move my arms or my legs or turn my head or anything. And the first sound that I remember was this far away voice that sounded like a voice I recognized calling my name and saying, “Lazarus, come out.”
I lay there for a few minutes just getting my bearings and trying to figure out what was going on. Somehow I managed to wiggle and slide off the table that I was laying on. I managed to get up on my feet and I heard the voice again say, “Lazarus, come out.” So even though I couldn’t see a thing, I started following the sound of the voice. The best that I could do was hop and scoot a few inches at a time because I was so wrapped up. And it started to get brighter and brighter as I approached the entrance of the tomb and as the sunlight worked its way through the bandages wrapped around my face. I remember hearing a lot of clamor all around me. People were crying – but it was more of a happy cry then a sad cry and people were saying things like, “Who is this guy?” And instinctively I knew they were not talking about me.
Then I felt these arms wrapped around me and the bandages got looser and looser and before I knew it I was able to see again and move my arms again and walk around again. And standing right in front of me was my friend Jesus. And He had this big smile on His face, a smile that hinted of mystery, as if He knew something that nobody else knew.
So here I am 30 years later. Still just as alive as I was before I died. Able to enjoy being around you kids and watch you grow up. But I learned a lesson that day all those years ago that I don’t want you to ever forget. In fact it was something that Jesus had said to Martha before I was brought back to life…
He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die” And then he asked her the same question that I will ask each of you, “Do you believe this?”
Now, if any of you have a story that can top that one, then I want to hear it.
Quotes Worth Pondering – Tim Keller
Sadly, we tend to come to the church as consumers intent to plunder the benefits only.
Articles Worth Pondering – 5 Life Lessons From An Olympic Gold Medalist
Of all the people you’ve ever seen preach in a Speedo, David Boudia must be the most eloquent. A world-class diver who, after Rio, now has 4 Olympic medals to his name, he often stands with reporters after competitions and does all he can to deflect attention away from himself and toward Jesus. He usually does this by telling how his identity is not wrapped up in being an Olympian or a medalist but in being in Christ Jesus. Just before the 2016 Olympics he released his biography Greater Than Gold. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and wanted to share the 5 big life lessons he communicates.
To read the rest of this article from Tim Challies click here: 5 Life Lessons From An Olympic Gold Medalist