Highly, highly recommended...

Very few books have caused me to stop and question myself like this one! I needed to. Very appreciated and corrective.

One chapter preview from WTSbooks

Finished a thought

Here...

My search for a calling

Finding a calling has always been a particular struggle for me. I know of many who can identify but a few who don't... I am trying to learn from those who are walking faithful to their call.

When I use the word call, I realize of course that some people have no idea what I'm talking about, whereas some understand immediately. "Call" to me has a couple of facets. First a call always identifies a life purpose. To get to the end and have lived with meaning. A second layer to that is that is that it often can be attached to a career or vocation.

When I was 5 I wanted to be a NFL player and at 15 a missionary pilot and I knew without a doubt what I vocationally wanted to do with life. Of course, I was a terrible athlete, and God had other ideas. When I was 30, I knew again... But God again has other plans or timing.

What I've realized is that it is often in my pride that I assume I know the best plan for my life. We are created for one purpose. That is to be beacons of light, salt of the earth, God glorifiers now and through eternity. When I decide what the best plan for my life is and am unwilling to let it go, I show my self to be proud. I classify myself with those in Jas. 4:13-17.

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

I guess the hard part for me to deal with came in when life seems to start falling apart. Dreams get pried away one at a time. Abilities begin eroding (or at least temporarily fading).

How are we to find a calling at this point? Simply put, this calls for a return to the basics. What is the calling of all Christians? To be salt, light, glorifiers, and worshipers. Perhaps you're in a time of "calling confusion". We can find joy and calling in returning to these basics.

My hope for this time God has our family in is that as each door that I would love to pursue closes, I have found peace in one immediate calling:

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. - Rev. 4:8

And because of this, I can say with Job...

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! - Job 19:25-27

I found peace in walking through extended life suffering BECAUSE God is the One who ordains and ordered my path. He opened and closed the doors ahead of me. My calling for this season is to glorify Him through all possible means at my disposal. This calling will last through the rest of my time here on earth which is as James says "a mist." I'm in my calling and at peace. Now to be faithful...

When life is easy and all goes along as you planned it's seems easy to "go along" with "God's calling." Perhaps it is truly God's calling, I'm not criticizing those who find themselves on a "easy path."

God may call us to a path that is not the one we would naturally choose. In fact, He has as Mark 8:34b-35 says so well,

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Chan observes, "Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers."

My challenge to you folks is that following God's call will be harder than mine as it entails more discernment and care not to stumble over the many temptations that can entangle you on the race.

2 Peter 1:5-9

Tough times are not the time that you want to be developing a robust theology. 2 Peter 1:5-9 says "...[M]ake every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins." I would encourage anybody I interact with who has a love for theology or desire to study, to grow while you can, as you don't know what lies ahead. I know that I am grateful for the truths on which I now stand and for those one whose shoulders I depend.

Faith, virtue, knowledge, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love.

I know that weeks and months like the past few show my faith to be weak, yet show our Savior to be strong, and show the body (His church) to be His instrument of love - primarily through my wife, lastly I'm so grateful that if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself (1 Tim 2:13).

I've debated the helpfulness in journaling over the last

Six months and have deliberately not written as I have had significant struggles. Have you ever had trouble pushing through something? No, not just something hard, but something simple. Everybody is supposed to struggle when running a marathon. But were you supposed to struggle writing that last sentence? Not everybody gets to go through this one.

I was reading from my favorite series The Chronicles of Narnia to the kiddos last Saturday night... We're in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I like the book, not in my top three, but I like it a lot. Well, chapter 12 The Dark Island now has a special place in all our hearts.

Oddly enough, this is the verse that the family guide to Narnia had as the beginning of that chapter...

Job 4:12-14 "A word was secretly brought to me, my ears caught a whisper of it. Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake."

Lucy is fearful as they enter into a dark and mysterious misty island, which they find to be an island where nightmares come true. When they try to escape, they row in vain. At the point when all seems lost,

Lucy whispered, "Aslan, Aslan, If you ever loved us at all, send us help now." The darkness did not grow any less, but she began to feel a little - a very, very little better.

At this point an albatross comes and lights the ship with radient lights, whispers words of comfort to her alone, and leads them from the darkness.

Also, at this point, I go into an episode which effectively ends my reading for the night and traumatizes my three and four year old for a day. They get over stuff so fast (I'm so grateful for that!) My son Hudson and daughter Emma were regular EMT staff and took care of the rest by getting the help necessary. We are blessed by great neighbors and friends. Thanks to Dave and Jen, Brian and Kristin, Isaac, Ed, Mike, Ken, and the Laytonsville FD.

We were able to put these connections together between the story in the book and Christ and his nearness to all of us who are going through suffering in whatever form it may take. For my kids, it may just be a bad dream at night, or a mean neighbor. For me, it may be a time of physical pain, dreading an upcoming medical test, or pushing through another week of medication. For my dearest wife she has to put up with all of us(which is by far the hardest job) and exhort through it all! We thought it cool enough to share with anyone else who might want to read it.

Matt

Common Grace

Not trying to lean toward the fringe here, but I have truly enjoyed many of God's kind graces toward me since the surgery and ongoing trials. Takes rough times to refocus perspective. I know how much I've enjoyed putting my kids to bed, getting kisses from the little guys, spending time with my wife doing seemingly meaningless stuff, feeling the new baby move in her stomach, playing cards with my friends, and - yes - even having a pint every now and again. Perhaps I'll be able to elaborate more on this another post, but... The truth IS that this post is about beer. Not having a profound beer knowledge, I can't review them in any meaningful way but to say that these all fall into different beer type categories, have a lot of good flavor, and most importantly are enjoyable.

In no particular order:

Redhook's ESB - an American version of the British ESB (Extra Special / Strong Bitter).

Clipper City's Loose Cannon

Dogfish Head's 90 minute IPA (60 is good, too)
Hefeweizen - Harpoon's Unfiltered Offering (UFO)

Christian Behavior

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Eph 4:30

In the middle of his instructions on our renewed (by the Holy Spirit's work) lifestyle, Paul throws this comment in. I had to pause here because it seems so out of place. Why did he throw this in just after talking about speech and just before talking about bitterness and rage and anger? I wish I could expound the deep theological truth or give the greek hermeneutics or something, but I can't. 

I can only say that God stopped my mind on this passage. These words bring a reality to what happens when I sin. Yes, my sins are forgiven in Christ. And yes, there is no condemnation... BUT God is saddened and grieves when his children don't live in the new life He HAS given them. I live in light of what was accomplished (in the death and resurrection of Christ) and in continuity with what is yet to be realized. 

This passage demonstrates to me how actively God is involved in our lives. Excepting large sins, I don't usually grieve when my children sin (which demonstrates my wrong view of sin - because all sin is SIN). But God is so aware of what has been accomplished and the loss I experience that He is saddened by my sin (for my sake - I think).

Why did Jesus die for us?

Why did Jesus die for us? What was Jesus getting out of it? Remember, he already had a community of joy, glory, and love. He didn't need us. So what benefit did he derive from this? Not a thing. And that means that when he came into the world and died on the cross to deal with our sins, he was circling and serving us. "I have given them the glory that you gave me" (John 17). He began to do with us what he had been doing with the Father and the Spirit from all eternity. He centers upon us, loving us without benefit to himself. (emphasis mine)
Tim Keller in The Reason for God

When I read this it hit home. In my limited understanding, I've always pictured God getting some benefit out of us. For instance, the Westminster catechism describes the main purpose for human existence is to glorify God. In my mind that means that God's benefit is being glorified by us. Or the fact that the biblical story is about God redeeming a people for himself. In my mind that means that God's benefit is getting a people for his own possession (this is, in part, very biblical by the way).

The problem with these statements is that I have been finding an intrinsic value in myself and other Christians. How is this a problem? In a subtle way I've been believing that God's love is, in part, a self serving love. As if He's getting something out of the deal. Oh, the arrogance of that statement!

The realization that Jesus already had the perfect community of joy, glory, and love means that he needed nothing. This also means that His sacrifice was one of pure love and in no way self serving.

Committed

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col. 2:6-7)

About this verse Dr. M. Lloyd-Jones says, "... if you think that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ without realizing that He is your Lord, I would not hesitate to say that your belief is of no value. You cannot take Him as Saviour only, because He saves you by buying you with His precious blood. And if you believe that, you must know at once that He is your Lord."

How often do we forget this! The gospel commits us as those purchased to follow in our Lord's steps. We are saved from sin, but must never forget that we are saved to righteousness (Rom. 6:18). Right and holy living are our calling.

Jesus is able

Recently, I was thanking God for his salvation and reminding myself of my need for a savior. Part of my prayer went something like this: "Father, thank you for your Son who I need as much today as I did the day I was converted." At this I paused and started thinking... Did I just pray correctly? I would hate to be praying heresy... My justification (standing before God) was realized at a point in time (conversion). I am no longer condemned before a holy God, so how do I need a savior as much today as I did at that point? God brought these verses to mind:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)

The word "able" jumped out at me... I am not able to keep from stumbling. I will continue to sin if left to my own way. Sin is still present with me. While I am blameless before God based on the finished work of Christ, I also have a need to keep from stumbling. It is in this truth that I realize my daily need for a savior as actively as the day I was converted. Jesus is able to keep me from stumbling!