Here’s an excerpt from his foreword to an English translation of Athanasius’ On the Incarnation.

(Find more about Athanasius, the “Father of Orthodoxy.” In this book Athanasius demonstrates the utter uniqueness of the God-Man Jesus.)

Lewis gives a good reminder to read good, old books, giving a needed place to the historic voices that speak beyond their day:

… Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet. A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all its hidden implications (often unsuspected by the author himself) have to be brought to light. Often it cannot be fully understood without the knowledge of a good many other modern books. If you join at eleven o’clock a conversation which began at eight you will often not see the real bearing of what is said. Remarks which seem to you very ordinary will produce laughter or irritation and you will not see why—the reason, of course, being that the earlier stages of the conversation have given them a special point. In the same way sentences in a modern book which look quite ordinary may be directed at some other book; in this way you may be led to accept what you would have indignantly rejected if you knew its real significance. The only safety is to have a standard of plain, central Christianity (”mere Christianity” as Baxter called it) which puts the controversies of the moment in their proper perspective. Such a standard can be acquired only from the old books. It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books. All contemporary writers share to some extent the contemporary outlook—even those, like myself, who seem most opposed to it. Nothing strikes me more when I read the controversies of past ages than the fact that both sides were usually assuming without question a good deal which we should now absolutely deny. They thought that they were as completely opposed as two sides could be, but in fact they were all the time secretly united—united with each other and against earlier and later ages—by a great mass of common assumptions. We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century—the blindness about which posterity will ask, “But how could they have thought that?”—lies where we have never suspected it, and concerns something about which there is untroubled agreement between Hitler and President Roosevelt or between Mr. H. G. Wells and Karl Barth. None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books. Where they are true they will give us truths which we half knew already. Where they are false they will aggravate the error with which we are already dangerously ill. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction. To be sure, the books of the future would be just as good a corrective as the books of the past, but unfortunately we cannot get at them.

• Read the rest of Lewis’ foreword and Athanasius’ On the Incarnation online

Listening is not simply, or mainly, hearing what the other person is saying. It is thinking about what they are saying, and doing so from their point of view.

Implication: This includes a willingness to be influenced by others. If you are generally unaffected by what other people say, you aren’t listening.

Then I sent it to my theologian (and pastor) friend Adam. Here’s his brief biblical reflection, since he doesn’t blog himself:

I like these statements, they remind me of Proverbs 18:2 and 18:13. Here are some more thoughts for the conversation:

I think that “Listening” is the main theme of the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4; Matt, 13). Since this is the first parable, it functions importantly as a kind of gateway parable into Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom. Check out Mark 4 (akuo is the first and the last word of his initial telling of the parable to the crowds; and it is the only word in the imperative mood). It is literally this “hearing heart” that Solomon prayed for in his famous request for wisdom (1 Kings 3) Listening is a fundamental activity that characterizes entrance and continuation of life as a disciple of Jesus in His kingdom. Surely, a key discipline for disciples is the cultivation of a listening ear. As in the parable, those who fail to listen fail to bear fruit. A spiritually deaf disciple is a dead disciple. All of this highlights the importance of listening.

As to the nature of listening, it seems that a ‘willingness to listen from the speaker’s perspective’ highlights a potential sense or aspect of what true “listening” is, but this aspect still does not capture the bulk idea of a theology of listening. The primary idea seems to be more of a receptive and teachable heart (see also James 1:22; receiving the word with meekness). The Scriptures also speak of the nobility of the Bereans [Acts 17:11] for the discernment in which they listened. We must guard against both naivety and unreceptivity in our listening.

There are a cluster of virtues that seem to characterize healthy listening, such as: humility, honesty, love for and hunger for truth, and respect for others. Cultivating these virtures is likely to make one a better listener.

Final thought, on a practical note perhaps it is wise to distinguish between how we treat ideas and people. Namely, be critical with ideas. Be charitable with people.

Well said, Adam!

If you want to learn more for Adam, think about attending Cornerstone School of Ministry in Corvallis, Oregon, where he serves as Director and a church Elder and Pastor. I’m grateful for the opportunity to visit as a guest lecturer from time to time, and used to teach there regularly.

Yesterday, however, I sensed God’s Spirit telling me to shut up a couple times when I apparently thought what I had to say was important. (James 2:19) Thankful for our gracious church leaders and staff, and my wordiness weakness can be overlooked because of God’s grace displayed through one another.

People are more important than what I have to say, and I’m getting better at living in that reality.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

(I grew up saying it every week in church, but only in the last decade have my eyes been open to realize the significance and truth found in the words of this creed. Thankful the words were memorized from a young age, and are becoming to me more colorful and beautiful now.)

Athanasius (c. AD 296/98 – 373) has long been my favorite figure in church history, and he may be the single most influential person in church history since Christ and the Apostles. Not as well known as so many others — Augustine, Jerome, Luther, etc. But beloved by God and greatly used by Him. I’ve learned in studying church history that  those who are the most used by God for the sake of the Gospel of His Son, are (1) not lazy, and (2) realize their life’s work does not depend upon them. This is one of those great "happy tensions," where the influence is supernatural and beyond the finite limits of a single life — like Paul writes in Col. 1:29 — all of God’s energy at work in us. Our story is part of His.

We owe so much to Athanasius and his writings, that through great weakness of body and five trips into exile he persevered to give us a deeper vision of the Worth, Work and Ways of Jesus the Christ than the church was swimming in during his days. Oh, the purity and others-directed service of his life! He simply thought about himself less, and made much of Jesus while providing for the poor and widows, preaching about the worth, work and ways of Christ, and even praying for and reaching out to Arius. Arius is the poor theology student who while 42 years Athanasius’ elder — and fellow pastor in the same city and church — was greatly confused and left the biblical vision of Christ. He taught that if Jesus were a Son, then He must have had a beginning, and since there is only one God — who eternally Is — that must be God the Father alone and the Son and Spirit must be secondary creatures. He denied the mystery of the Trinity, because he wanted to worship a God he could fully understand. Arius did not deny Christ, he simply dethroned the Savior, saying he was created (against the clear teaching of passages like Col. 1:15-23 and John 1:1-16). He was in essence the original Jehovah’s Witness, and so many of the church leaders in that day were swayed to this heresy.

Thus the nickname of our hero, "Athanasius Contra Mundum " (against the world). There is a great irony in God’s providence of greatly using a man and his writings — Athanasius — while he was exiled five times by various Roman Emperors. Without those banishments (much like the Apostle Paul in prison), this world would be a less glorious place — and the Gospel would not have spread so well. The emperors had no idea what they were doing, thinking that banishing him would led to the spread of the politically expedient Arianism. Instead, the people of Alexandria considered Athanasius their bishop for 45 years, especially the 17 he spent in the deserts as a fugitive. From the desert his writings sounded forth with the accuracy and weight of scholar and the pastoral tone of of a man who possessed deep love of Christ and truth. The sufferings were worth it: for him, for them, and for us. Young Athanasius came against Arian and his views with the patience of a true saint, and the endurance of a man set on fire by Christ and by truth. I’ll post some links to good summaries and some of his writings when my talk is complete.

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water."

Notice that portion in vv. 9 & 10. The duplicity — and power (vv. 5-8) — of our words is astonishing. We used to chant the lie, that "sticks and stones … but words will never hurt me." That’s totally false. Words are far more destructive than any object thrown. At least with sticks and stones the damage is seen, and visible reminder. Yet, words can wound far deeper, and the scars remind though hidden.

The point is illustrated deeply in my own mind as I contemplate my son’s increasing vocabulary (all dozen or so words), and think of how he said "Bible" for the first time today. Wow.

Someday he will realize the infinite worth of the Book he is talking about — I hope and pray his eyes go open as God shines His light. Yet, today, I am really his best connection to what the Bible is all about. Do I bless God, and speak of and from the Bible, and then turn around and reveal a disdain for people, for whom Christ died? He sees it when I do. And although he cannot speak in sentences, he certainly can think complete thoughts. He is arriving at conclusions about our Creator on the basis of our few hours together each day. I speak and pray in front of my son: that God is our Father. Who is Dutch’s father? Does he see a correlation, and will he desire to know this Father whom I love and know and weep at His sheer grace. Is that coming across to my son?

Kari assures me I’m doing well. Yet as a father — twice now — these thoughts weigh on me, as they should. And I hope and pray to be like my own Dad who always has joyful and pleasant words, who is a gentle man who radiates care as a father should.

Resolve to make our words personal

Can we resolve to use our words for the building up of one another?

• Have you recently harmed someone with words, even in a small way? Will you resolve to take practical, even humiliating steps, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation?
• Or, perhaps it is the other way around: How can you forgive them in love?
• Start with those you are connected to. If getting out of that rut seems insurmountable, with and the bickering, complaining and sarcasm, then start "small."
• Begin with those who may seem to be of little importance, on the fringe of your daily life — like those who pump your gas, serve your feed, and drive your kid’s school bus. We can tell a lot about a person by how he or she treats people who supposedly are not adding value to our lives. Are we adding value to theirs?
• Have you realized they may be having a worse day than you are? (Have I realized that?)

Take an interest in them, and in doing so, lose yourself in the beauty of what it means for all persons to be image-bearers of our Creator. Each one of us is marred and worse off than we realize, yet more loved than we dared imagine.

Let’s speak to one another (as made in the image/likeness of God) like we are speaking to Christ, who is The Image of God. That is how it is supposed to be.

"… give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ( 1 Thess. 5:18 )

What is God’s will for my life? That has always been one of most frequent questions I’ve heard, and asked. How can I know what He wants me to do, who He designed me to be?

God’s will is multi-faceted, yet He is strangely easy to please, as our caring heavenly Father. He has given some specific instructions as to what His will for us is. Trusting wholly in His Son is His direct command for all of us ( Acts 17:30; 1 John 5:13 ). Abstaining from sexual impurity, keeping our bodies for His good pleasure alone is specifically His will for us ( 1 Thess. 4:3-4 ). Add to that the heralding of His Good News everywhere by the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-30), which of course is enabling power of God to obey the Great Commandment (love the Lord Thy God fully, more than anything else). And here in this passage we see it is God’s will that we being a praying people, continually pour out words from the depths of our being (we have incredible access!, v. 17).  Couple the next verse (v. 18): always being thankful , with always rejoicing ( Phil. 4:4 ), and we have a lifestyle that reveals God’s worth and can receive His grace.That is truly an others-directed (not me-first) Christianity.

When we think about it, that’s not too much for God to ask. In fact, He enables what He commands. This is not debtor’s ethic at play. For remember, His commandments are His enablements , just as they are not burdensome ( 1 John 5:3 ). As we continually trust in the Son, by the Spirit, we are changed into the kind of people who live out His will and purpose for us ( Phil. 2:12-13 ). We live in these commands as His people working from significance, not for it. Our performance is a measure of Christ’s ability to rescue and transform us, not something we simply have to do on our own.

Today, as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow, the will of God is for us to be thankful in all things . To specifically "give thanks" to God. Thanking Him for pain that proves we are alive, for His discipline which shows He cares as a Father, for happy times that are unearned, for frustrations and for triumphs. For a million seemingly little things. Can you join with me in doing today what — if we have been captivated by Jesus — we will love doing forever?

Our destiny is to say these small words forever

Related to giving thanks, this reminder from Of First Importance is worth re-posting…

“I have often wondered, perhaps in part simply because the term is so rarely used today, what it might mean to ‘glorify’ God forever. It will undoubtedly mean a great many things, but one of them surely must be that we will continually thank him.

We will thank him for his graciousness and goodness to us, and for inviting us into conversation. Along this line, I would think that we anticipate our ‘chief and highest end’ every time we behold something beautiful and find that after we have exclaimed, ‘Ah, how wonderful!’ we are almost compelled to say ‘Thank you!’

Our destiny is to say these small words forever and so experience the gratitude that is the perfection of happiness.”

—Craig M. Gay, Dialogue, Catalogue & Monologue (Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 2008), 48-49.

How simple, true, and profound.

Seeing that giving thanks will be our forever practice and joy for all eternity, how do we practically do that, on a day to day basis here and now?

As Warren Wiersbe reminds us:

"Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny!"

That is often thought of in a pejorative sense, as in what you sow you shall reap — badly! (see Gal. 6 ). But it also conversely true, for sowing a thought of thankfulness, does lead to action, which done repeatedly and intentionally forms a habit. This habit no longer remains merely "habitual," but becomes second nature — becoming part of our very character — and thus the trajectory we will live on. This is no positive-thinking mantra (always aimed at self). Rather, this is turning from self over and over again to see the beauty and grace of God, and reflecting his joy towards others.

(Please chime in on this…)

A few thoughts on cultivating thankfulness as a lifestyle:

• Sit down and think . We will not be grateful automatically (this depravity thing holds us back from looking outside ourselves).
  • Is there anything "big" that you’re thankful for?
  • Anything relatively "small"?
  • How do those "small" things add up — a lot of grace and undeserved kindness, huh?
• Ask someone else, "What are you thankful for?"
  • Gratitude and joy are contagious (as are negativity and self-absorption).
• Tell God what you are thankful for.
  • Go ahead, He’s listening! ( Eph. 3:13 )
• Preach the Gospel to yourself every day.
  • Can you articulate the grace of God in Christ, who is the substitution for Your sins and the only way to God?
  • We never outgrow our need for the Gospel. It is for Christians too .
• Tell someone why you are thankful for them .
  • We are each blind to our own fruit and daily need encouragement.
  • A hand-written note is a small item that can sustain a burdened soul through trying times. Take the time to show them you care, because you do. (see here )
  • God often puts different people on your heart to pray for and encourage – directly.
  • Call, write, even text (don’t "superpoke") others for to display God’s worth, their being made in His image, and for their good.
  • They might choose to return the favor, but who cares if they don’t. Be a free-grace-giver.
• Why are you/me/we generally un-thankful? (if you are not bent towards joy and gratitude, as a lifestyle or at this particular moment)
  • Remember that all problems are Gospel problems. They all stem from a lack of proper orientation to the Gospel. Put positively, the gospel transforms our hearts, our thinking and our approach to absolutely everything.
• Repeat…

Any to add?

Oh, what a happy tension. Clearly, my impact for Christ is not limited to my finite ability nor imperfect obedience.

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ” (1 Cor. 3:5-7)

• Instant
• Constant
• Global
• Permanent

But don’t let that prevent you from speaking and writing boldly.

Even still, choose your words well.

(The list of four above was mentioned by Pastor Mark Driscoll in response to the question, "What have you learned, Mark, from those who have criticized you?" in the panel discussion at the Desiring God conference: "The Power of Words and the Wonder of God."

2. I resolve to boast only in the exultation I receive in Jesus Christ and also in the humiliation I receive for Jesus Christ. (1:9-10)

3. I resolve to set a watch over my mouth. (1:13)

4. I resolve to be constantly quick to hear and slow to speak. (1:19)

5. I resolve to learn the gospel way of speaking to both rich and poor. (2:1-4)

6. I resolve to speak in the present consciousness of my final judgment. (2:12)

7. I resolve never to stand on anyone’s face with the words I employ. (2:16)

8. I resolve never to claim as reality in my life what I do not truly experience. (3:14)

9. I resolve to resist quarrelsome words as evidence of a bad heart that needs to be mortified. (4:1)

10. I resolve never to speak decided evil against another out of a heart of antagonism. (4:11)

11. I resolve never to boast in anything but what I will accomplish. (4:13)

12. I resolve to speak as one subject to the providences of God. (4:15)

13. I resolve never to grumble. The judge is at the door. (5:9)

14. I resolve never to allow anything but total integrity in everything I say. (5:12)

15. I resolve to speak to God in prayer whenever I suffer. (5:13)

16. I resolve to sing praises to God whenever I’m cheerful. (5:14)

17. I resolve to ask for the prayers of others when I’m in need. (5:14)

18. I resolve to confess it whenever I have failed. (5:15)

19. I resolve to pray with others for one another whenever I am together with them. (5:15)

20. I resolve to speak words of restoration when I see another wander. (5:19)

If you’ve been involved in “church life” for any extended period of time, you surely know that people are not casual about their preferences. We’ve all heard the horror stories of churches splitting over the color of carpet. Some of you may have actually lived through that. Yet most of us are willing to overlook matters like the color of the carpet, but don’t you dare sing too many “contemporary” songs, or “traditional hymns,” depending on which side of the argument you come from.

One of the things that breaks my heart in this discussion is that, for a good many people, the more theologically informed we become, the more picky we become, when I’ve come to believe it should be exactly the opposite. For many people, the more theology they understand and become convicted of, and as they begin to formulate positions, many of those positions become boundary markers of what their idea of church should be when in reality, there are godly men and women on the other side of that theological conviction who just as strongly believe otherwise. In other words, many of our theological convictions are simply strongly held personal preferences, just (hopefully), with Scriptural backing.

Makes me think.

I have a handful of convictions I’m willing to die for, but many silly preferences that muddy the water making it look like those are more important.

Let’s not make good things into ultimate things. Christ is the one supreme treasure in all the universe.

Is HE my preference?

—

Brent and his family recently planted a church in the Phoenix area.

“Take every word as spoken to yourselves. When the word thunders against sin, think thus: ‘God means my sins;’ when it presseth any duty, ‘God intends me in this.’ Many put off Scripture from themselves, as if it only concerned those who lived in the time when it was written; but if you intend to profit by the word, bring it home to yourselves: a medicine will do no good, unless it be applied.” (From a sermon by Thomas Watson entitled “How We May Read the Scriptures with Most Spiritual Profit”)

– Prayer entitled "Humiliation" in The Valley of Vision , ed. Arthur Bennet (Banner of Truth, 2002 edition). Quoted by Jonathan Leeman in "Individualism’s Not the Problem–Community’s Not the Solution ," Modern Reformation , July/Aug 2008.

An excellent essay !

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory,
for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness!

Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens;
He does all that He pleases.
– Psalm 115:1-3

most people we come into contact with each day are having a worse day that we are

Let’s show others grace, for everyone is carrying burdens. Also keep in perspective that we all are having a better day than we deserve.

Let’s take the time to listen to other’s stories.

(Ideas formed today during our communication skills for ministry class)

“Transcendent living is Christ-centered living. Living for Christ is the only way you will ever be liberated from your bondage to the overwhelming tendency to shrink the size of your life to the size of your life. The only way to spin free of the narrow confines of your little cubicle kingdom is to live in the big sky country of Christ-centered living. You will never win the battle with yourself simply by saying ‘no’ to yourself. The battle only begins to be won when you say ‘yes’ to the call of your King, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

- Paul David Tripp, A Quest for More (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007), 99.

“Only love for Christ has the power to incapacitate the sturdy love for self that is the bane of every sinner, and only the grace of Christ has the power to produce that love.” (p. 105)

Ripped straight from Of First Importance . I highly recommend having their RSS feed , daily email or heading to their site each day for quotes like this.

Humility is a reoccurring theme, and truly the answer for all my problems in this two-second earthly life. A right assessment of self (humility), and a proper view of circumstances, as in contentment (see here ).

On this theme, there seems to be a strange paradox at work in my life. Why is it that sometimes I am more authentic with people I know are not Christian than with fellow believers and leaders in the church. Not overall as a huge difference in character on display, but in spots and situations. Why is that? Why do I ‘edit my story’ and try to come across as competent and gifted and a good leader? Anyone else struggle with this? (It is sin, and we must repent of it, and flee it .. but how?)

An incisive quote by Tim Keller addresses part (or at least the center) of my dilemma in his book The Reason for God . He writes:

"Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God. Sin is seeking to become oneself, to get an identity, apart from him…Sin is not just the doing of bad things, but the making of good things into ultimate things. It is seeking to establish a sense of self by making something else more central to your significance, purpose, and happiness than your relationship to God" (p. 162).

(Thanks to Jake Belder for the reminder .)

That is my problem — making good (not at all sinful things) into the ultimate things. I suffer with this self-idolatry, being a task-oriented, generally productive and competent (with a Type-A personality fueling it all). By default I find significance in what I do , which is a perversion of identity and life purpose before God. Rather, my significance is found in Christ, my life hidden with Him in God — in fact, Jeff is dead (Col. 3:3). That’s the reordering of life under the Gospel.

Unless we are diligent in seeking humility (since we cannot simply "do" it) we will not be progressing on the trajectory towards Christ-likeness. To long to fulfill what Andrew Murray defines humility as: "simply the sense of entire nothingness, which comes when we see how truly God is all, and in which we make way for God to be all " [Andrew Murray, Humility , p. 12].

A passage that keeps coming to mind is 1 Corinthians 8:1-3:

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.  But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

It probably took about three hours wrestling with those verses to scratch the surface of what they mean for my identity, seeking knowledge and loving God in all things. (Still wresting with it.) Knowledge is not bad, nor is seeking knowledge a vain pursuit. The issue is with motives, issues of the heart and mind. Why am I seeking knowledge? For God’s glory and my joy? Is my learning a loving act towards God and others? Loving God is the chief goal (display His infinite worth and glory, by enjoying Him through love). And all knowledge should serve to help us know, love and enjoy God above all else. But of course none of this can be done in a vacuum, to the exclusion of others. We do not live to ourselves, and even in living to God we affect (and should) others greatly. If we wish to help others see Christ as beautify and glorious as He is, then we must be actively loving others. That is how the world will know Christ is in us, that He knows us (John 13:35). And that is what I am learning. Humbled, learning contentment. Happily.

I guess that if you are a Christian reading this then I’m being authentic with you after all…

"Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal of every condition."
- Jeremiah Burroughs , The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (listen to a discussion of the book here , highly recommended)

"…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
- The Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:11-13

This hits home to the details of everyday life. Who doesn’t need to learn better how to be content?

Contentment is a heart issue. And it is a hard reality to cultivate. Our affections must be illuminated to see past our circumstances and surroundings to see the transcendent God who brings beauty, joy and contentment to any and all things.

Labor to be content in God. We are working through frustrations and disappointments to see Christ Himself as the sum of our joy and contentment in this life, as He is the source of life and the reason for our existence.

"Humility is the most essential thing in true religion . . . the great Christian duty is self-denial. This duty consists of two things: first, in denying worldly inclinations and its enjoyments and second, in denying self-exaltation and renouncing one’s self-significance by being empty of self. . . . The humble Christian is more apt to find fault with his own pride than with that of other men. . . . A truly humble person who has a low view of his own righteousness and holiness is poor in spirit and modest in speech. . . . He is apt to put the best construction on others’ words and behavior and to think that none is as proud as he is. But the proud hypocrite is pricked to discern the mote in his brother’s eye. He never sees the beam in his own. He’s often crying out about someone else’s pride, finding fault with that person’s appearance and way for living. Yet he never sees the filthiness of his own heart."
- Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections (reprinted, Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1984), 132-137.

“God created both soul and body, and the resurrection of Jesus shows that he is going to redeem both the spiritual and the material. Therefore God is concerned not only for the salvation of souls but also for the relief of poverty, hunger, and injustice.

The gospel opens our eyes to the fact that all our wealth (even wealth for which we worked hard) is ultimately an unmerited gift from God. Therefore the person who does not generously give away his or her wealth to others is not merely lacking in compassion, but is unjust.

Christ wins our salvation through losing, achieves power through weakness and service, and comes to wealth through giving all away. Those who receive his salvation are not the strong and accomplished but those who admit they are weak and lost. We cannot look at the poor and the oppressed and callously call them to pull themselves out of their own difficulty. Jesus did not treat us that way.”

- The Gospel Coalition’s “Theological Vision for Ministry” (2007), Section 5e

[HT: Of First Importance ]

“Transitioning One’s Soul to Finish the Day Well”

She’s posted the rough draft of her manuscript over on her blog. Her four points are the Premise, Picture, Path and Pursuit of unity as believers in the church. One of my favorite parts is centered around verse 3 on the Path:

Verse 3 provides us with a Path to unity.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3)

The path to unity has a steep downgrade. The road goes down, and down and down and down.  At times it’s windy, at times narrow, but always always down. The amazing thing is that this downward path takes you to the mountaintop. The summit of the Christian life is experienced on the mountaintop of humility.

Amen. I needed that, especiallly these days as I learn more and more the blessings of being poor in spirit, desperate for Christ and needing God’s Word to guide our every steps.

Andrew Murray says humility is the sense of entire nothingness which comes when we see how truly God is all, and in which we make way for God to be all.  Humility is losing oneself in God. It is a total lack of concern for self, which sets us free.

In making the fourth point (Pursuit) we are reminded how this frees us from pride.

Tozer says, The burden of self-love is a heavy load indeed.

CS Lewis said, “The pleasure of pride is like the pleasure of scratching.  If there is an itch one does want to scratch; but it is much nicer to have neither the itch nor the scratch.  As long as we have the itch of self-regard we shall want the pleasure of self-approval; but the happiest moments are those when we forget our precious selves and have neither but have everything else (God, our fellow humans, animals, the garden and sky) instead.”

Humility, then is forgetting our precious selves.  When we do this, we are freed to gain true fellowship and unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

She goes on to remind us that “humility truly is the most freeing quality of life,” and the entire passage is centered around making the case as to why that is.

Kari’s final words drive the full thrust of the the passage home:

So you may be wondering, how can I cultivate this?  Understand the Premise—we are accepted and loved by God.  Gaze at the Picture—Love, Unity, Like-mindedness.  Follow the Path down to humility.  And lay down your burden of self for the Pursuit of one another.  Do you want the secret to this?  It’s found in the Little Way.  Therese of Lisieux devised a prayer-filled approach to life that is deceptively simple.  Seek out the menial job, welcome unjust criticisms, befriend those who annoy us, and help those who are ungrateful.  Lay down your burden of self and Live the Little Way.

That’s a sermon I’d like not only to preach, but to live.