Category: Books (Page 19 of 23)

Lavish Grace!

December 4, 2012 / admin

“A simple correspondence of the sacrifice to the sin would have been sufficient to set our hearts free. And Christ did indeed offer just what was needed for our sins. Yet the perfect sacrifice of the God-man, Jesus Christ is not only sufficient, but abundantly sufficient for our debt. ‘In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace‘ (Eph. 1:7). Note: not ‘by the riches of his grace,’ but ‘according to the [infinite and immeasurable] riches of his grace’! The grace measured to us in Christ is not simply out of a reservoir of divine goodness, but in proportion to the limitless measure of the whole of God’s infinite grace. Our salvation arises out of ‘the unsearchable riches of Christ’ (Eph. 3:8)!” (Pathways to Peace, p.76)

The Silences of God

November 19, 2012 / admin

“My soul waits in silence for God only” (Psalm 62:1, NASB)

“I am reminded that in music silence is not silence. Musically, silence is called a rest. David was a musician. It seems to me – though I am no musician – the key to understanding the silence in the music is to never lose sight of the notes immediately before and after the silence. It is connecting the dots between those notes and interpreting the silence in its context that transforms silence into rest. Context, musically speaking, instructs you on how to read the silence. The same is true spiritually. Trouble is, in the midst of silence you haven’t heard the next note yet. All you have are the notes that have gone before. The music that led you to this moment tells you something is now unresolved. It leaves you listening, longing for those notes which will resolve the melody that has been played out to this point … We need to trust the Conductor enough to know that He will have more notes to be played. Only in this kind of faith-rest can we be ready to hear the next notes in this strain of divine music.” (Long Story Short, p.135)

Post-election Peace

November 7, 2012 / admin

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1)

“The ‘LORD’ is the only absolute Sovereign. Certainly God controls the hearts of all men (Prov. 16:9; 19:21; 20:24). But it may appear that kings, rulers and presidents hold absolute sway. They may even believe that they possess such power, yet they are ‘in the hand of the Lord.’ Their thinking, motives, inclinations and decisions are under the absolute control of God Himself.

By the king’s ‘heart’ is meant all his powers of reasoning, feeling and choice. These are ‘like channels of water.’ The expression describes small irrigation ditches used to bring life-giving water to otherwise unuseable land. The farmer directed the water by digging such ditches wherever he wanted and by then opening and closing the pathway for the water to flow (Deut. 11:10; Isa. 32:1-2). So too God ‘turns it [the king’s heart] wherever He wishes.’ He is able to make even the evil intentions of a man’s heart promote His glorious purposes (Psa. 76:10).

Scripture is filled with examples of such control by God over the hearts of rulers, particularly as they deal with His people and stand to influence His purposes: Abimelech (Gen. 20:6; Psa. 105:14-15), Pharaoh (Acts 7:10; Exod. 10:1-2), Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:21-23, 27), Tiglath-Pileser (Isa. 10:5-7), Cyrus (Ezra 6:22; Isa. 45:1-4), Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:30-31, 34-37), Belshazzar (Dan. 5:22-28), and Pilate (John 19:11). This truth is affirmed throughout the Scriptures (Eccl. 9:1; Dan. 2:21; Psa.105:25; 106:46; Revelation 17:17).

Only God is absolute in His control. ‘There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel against the Lord’ (v.30).” (Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary, p.463)

People, Politicians and Popularity

October 29, 2012 / admin

“In a multitude of people is a king’s glory, But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.” (Proverbs 14:28)

“The point of this proverb is simple enough—numbers equal renown in the world of politics …” BUT “… official position means little when people are not following you. A post without people is pointless. Titles without influence are worthless. The king is ultimately expendable (Prov. 30:27) or at least replaceable (1 Sam. 16:1), but not the people (2 Sam. 19:7).” (Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary, p.318)

What’s going on here?

October 24, 2012 / admin

“What if you and I lived our entire lives thinking we were in a different conversation than the one that is really going on? What if we lived out our lives in a drama that appears to be unfolding–only to discover that the part we thought we played was never really written into the actual story in fact being written? What if our assumptions about what is really going on in this world are all wrong and we live our lives off-purpose?” (Long Story Short, p.18)