Herbert: the definition of a minister

Saturday, February 27, 2010
    Feast of George Herbert, Priest, Poet, 1633
Meditation:
    Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
    —Colossians 1:24 (NIV)
Quotation:
    A pastor is the deputy of Christ for the reducing of man to the obedience of God. This definition is evident, and contains the direct steps of pastoral duty and authority. For, first, man fell from God by disobedience. Secondly, Christ is the glorious instrument of God for the revoking of man. Thirdly, Christ being not to continue on earth, but, after He had fulfilled the work of reconciliation, to be received up into heaven, He constituted deputies in His place; and these are priests. And therefore St. Paul, in the beginning of his epistles, professeth this; and in the [letter] to the Colossians [1:24] he plainly avoucheth, that he “fills up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in his flesh, for His body’s sake, which is the church.” Wherein is contained the complete definition of a minister.
    ... George Herbert (1593-1633), The Priest to the Temple [1632], London: H. Washbourne, 1842, p. 1-2 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have provided pastors for Your sheep. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt

Lewis: true selflessness

Friday, February 26, 2010
Meditation:
    You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
    —James 4:4-6 (NIV)
Quotation:
    [God] wants to bring the man to a state of mind in which he could design the best cathedral in the world, and know it to be the best, and rejoice in the fact, without being any more (or less) or otherwise glad at having done it than he would be if it had been done by another. [He] wants him, in the end, to be so free from any bias in his own favour that he can rejoice in his own talents as frankly and gratefully as in his neighbour’s talents—or in a sunrise, an elephant, or a waterfall. He wants each man, in the long run, to be able to recognise all creatures (even himself) as glorious and excellent things... When they have really learned to love their neighbours as themselves, they will be allowed to love themselves as their neighbours.
    ... C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), The Screwtape Letters, Macmillan, 1944, p. 73 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Grant, Lord, that I may find peace in humility. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt

Nida: translation pitfalls

Thursday, February 25, 2010
Meditation:
    It was also called Mizpah, because he said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.”
    —Genesis 31:49 (NIV)
Quotation:
    In one language of East Africa, missionaries have been saying for more than fifty years, “The Lord be with thy spirit,” but they never realized until recently that, because of subtle grammatical distinctions, this important benediction actually implied, “Yes, the Lord be with your spirit, for we don’t want him.” When this fact was discovered, the missionaries protested to their native brethren and demanded [to know] why they would permit missionaries to go on making such a mistake for so many years. The only reply from the natives was that the missionaries were in the habit of saying a good many strange things, and since the missionaries all agreed in making the mistake, it must have been true, regardless of the strange implications. But this is scarcely [more] incongruous than the manner in which we have taken the Mizpah declaration, “The Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent one from the other” [Gen. 31:49], and have twisted it from its original context in which two jealous, cheating men called upon God for protection one from the other, and have appropriated it as a request for mutual blessings and benefits.
    ... Eugene A. Nida (b. 1914), God’s Word in Man’s Language, Harper, 1952, p. 18 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Grant, Lord, that Your people shall deal honestly with one another. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt

John of the Cross: the gate

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Meditation:
    My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
    —Colossians 2:2-3 (NIV)
Quotation:
    [Continued from yesterday]
    For this reason the apostle Paul said of Christ, “In him are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” The soul cannot enter into these treasures, nor attain them, unless it first crosses into and enters the thicket of suffering, enduring interior and exterior labors, and unless it first receives from God very many blessings in the intellect and in the senses, and has undergone long spiritual training.
    The gate that gives entry into these riches of his wisdom is the cross; because it is a narrow gate, while many seek the joys that can be gained through it, it is given to few to desire to pass through it.
    ... St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), from the commentary, The Spiritual Canticle, XXXVII.4, XXXVI.13 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, may I seek only Your cross. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt

John of the Cross: the richest treasure

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
    Feast of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, Martyr, c.155
Meditation:
    What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory...
    —Romans 9:22-23 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders, and devout souls have understood them in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part still remains to be unfolded by them, and even to be understood by them. We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig, we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides. [Continued tomorrow]
    ... St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), from the commentary, The Spiritual Canticle, XXXVII.4 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have more riches of glory for those who follow You, and more beside. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt

Pink: praying for laborers

Monday, February 22, 2010
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.”
    —John 4:35-36 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It is true that [people] are praying for a worldwide revival. But it would be more timely, and more scriptural, for prayer to be made to the Lord of the harvest, that He would raise up and thrust forth laborers who would fearlessly and faithfully preach those truths which are calculated to bring about a revival.
    ... A. W. Pink (1886-1952), Eternal Punishment, Swengel, Pa. : Bible Truth Depot, 1951, Introduction (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, call out Your people, that the world may be saved. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt

Unbelief.com

        A significant part of the price of faith is the loss of one’s illusions. Naturally, this comes in some measure to most adults at some time in life. But for believers, it is a signal event (or process, since it seldom happens all at once). In particular, one who places faith in Christ finally comes to give up all hope of saving himself, knowing it to be a vain and empty ambition, regardless the vehicle, i.e., culture, career, church, or character. It cannot happen, and it will not happen. We rely entirely on God’s grace. The sooner one faces that, the better.
        That train of thought was stimulated last week by seeing a web site that invites people to post videos of their confessions of unbelief. Blasphemies abound on these videos, as one might expect, and some people have posted videos that feature explicit denial of the Holy Spirit, presumably the “unforgivable sin.” At the end of one such, the subject, a teenage girl, expressed her contempt by saying, “See ya in hell.” The originator of the web site, named something like “Blasphemy Contest”, explains that he is providing a place for people, particularly young people, to throw off the bondage of oppressive religion. Setting aside the preponderance of monkey-business and fatuous jokes, there is no doubt that it does work in that way, to some extent.
        The site itself caused a modest uproar among Christian spokesmen and the media, three years ago when it first emerged. All the fire and smoke has long since passed, of course, but I wonder if Christian leaders heard the message. Illusions must be discarded along the path that follows Christ. One of those illusions is that religious belief and practice saves. It is one of the most common myths of childhood: follow the dictates of your family’s religion or you will go to hell. Even, and perhaps especially, when the parents are evangelical Christians, young people often acquire this myth at an early age. The reason is that it maps well to typical early training. The child’s behavior is first controlled through a rewards-and-punishment system, from the earliest experiences of life. So, when one first learn about God, the natural response is to press what is known of the cosmic organization into this rewards-and-punishment framework. Since culture very often reinforces this view, it is not surprising that this nascent works salvation ideal is very widespread.
        Perhaps none of us are entirely free of it even at mature age: God, the hair-splitting accountant, watches our every move, noting our merits and demerits with pristine and indelible precision, and our job is to make the merits outweigh the demerits. Half an hour with the book of Romans ought to be enough to disabuse us of this illusion. But, like the “old” man that still haunts us, we carry around the myth of works salvation because we want to accomplish something. It enables us to feel good about ourselves when we need it from time to time.
        While some Christians were aghast at the unbelief web site, I drew the tiniest degree of comfort from it. Here, at least, were some people who have definitively rejected false religion. Having denied the myths of childhood, perhaps they will now be open to the true Gospel and able to receive the genuine love and grace of God, which is through Jesus Christ. I am not saying that I think blasphemy is a good idea (although truth be told, in blaspheming a false religion, it is hard to see how anyone is any worse off). I am saying that the god of the religious myth is no true god. Rejecting that god is a good thing. Of course, many will stop right there, but for some it might be a step towards discovering the God Who is there. That alone should define for us a strategy for reaching those lost souls and perhaps many more: preach Christ and Christ alone. Forget worldview (it is as wrong as one’s remaining illusions). Forget the myth. Forget the dos and don’ts, the musts and mustn’ts, the shoulds and shouldn’ts. It is the person of Jesus that alone is the starting place for faith and salvation. He is calling people from every background and persuasion.
        No illusions.

Runyan: Lord, I have shut the door

Sunday, February 21, 2010
Meditation:
    But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
    —Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
Quotation:
Lord, I have shut the door, speak now the word
Which in the din and throng could not be heard;
Hushed now my inner heart, whisper Thy will,
While I have come apart, while all is still.

In this blest quietness clamorings cease;
Here in Thy presence dwells infinite peace;
Yonder, the strife and cry, yonder, the sin:
Lord, I have shut the door, Thou art within!

Lord, I have shut the door, strengthen my heart;
Yonder awaits the task—I share a part.
Only through grace bestowed may I be true;
Here, while alone with Thee, my strength renew.
    ... William M. Runyan, [1923]The Complete Book of Hymns, William J. Petersen, ed., Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2006, p. 574 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Speak, Lord, for I am listening.

CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
BDTC    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt