Bunyan: fear of God

Saturday, October 11, 2014
    Commemoration of Ethelburga, Abbess of Barking, 675
Meditation:
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
    turning a man from the snares of death.
    —Proverbs 14:27 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Let God’s distinguishing love to you be a motive to you to fear Him greatly. He hath put His fear in thy heart, and hath not given that blessing to thy neighbour; perhaps not to thy husband, thy wife, thy child, or thy parent. O what an obligation should this consideration lay upon thy heart greatly to fear the Lord! Remember also... that this fear of the Lord is His treasure, a choice jewel, given only to favourites, and to those that are greatly beloved.
    ... John Bunyan (1628-1688), A Treatise on the Fear of God [1679], in The Whole Works of John Bunyan, v. I, pt. 2, Glasgow: Blackie, 1862, p. 479 (see the book)
    See also Pr. 14:27; Deut. 6:1-2,24; 10:20-21; 1 Sam. 12:24; Job 28:28; Ps. 19:9; 22:23; 111:10; 115:11-13; 118:4; Pr. 1:7; 8:13; 9:10; Jer. 5:23-24; Acts 9:31
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant the fear of the Lord to _____ and ____, that they may turn and follow You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Newbigin: inexplicable faith

Friday, October 10, 2014
    Feast of Paulinus, Bishop of York, Missionary, 644
Meditation:
    But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
    —1 Corinthians 15:12-14 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The whole story in the New Testament is written... from the point of view of the Resurrection, and the Christian faith is inexplicable otherwise.
    ... Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998), Journey Into Joy, Christian Literature Society, 1972, reprint, Wm. B. Errdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1973, p. 45 (see the book)
    See also 1 Cor. 15:12-14,20; John 11:25-26; Rom. 4:24-25; 8:11; 2 Cor. 4:13-14; Col. 3:1-4; 1 Thess. 4:14; Heb. 13:20-21; Rev. 1:18
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your Resurrection is the turning point in every history. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Meyer: what's at stake

Thursday, October 9, 2014
    Commemoration of Denys, Bishop of Paris, & his Companions, Martyrs, 258
    Commemoration of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, Philosopher, Scientist, 1253
Meditation:
    The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
    —2 Timothy 4:18 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The glory of Jesus Christ is involved in every temptation by which we are threatened, and for His sake, if not for our own, we must stand firm.
    ... Frederick Brotherton Meyer (1847-1929), Saved and Kept: Counsels to Young Believers, New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1897, p. 61 (see the book)
    See also Luke 22:31-32; John 10:28-30; Rom. 8:15,28; 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:10-11; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 6:4-6; 2 Pet. 2:9
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, for Your sake, lead me away from sin. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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de Sales: patient persistence

Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Meditation:
    Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
    —Romans 13:8-10 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Love all your neighbors, but especially those to whom God has given the strongest claims upon your affection. Set yourself steadfastly to those duties which have the least attractive exterior; it matters not whether God’s Holy Will be fulfilled in great or small matters. Long ceaselessly after perfect union of your will with that of our Lord. Be patient with yourself and your own failings; never be in a hurry, and do not yield to longings after that which is impossible to you.
    ... François de Sales (1567-1622), A Selection from the Spiritual Letters of St. Francis de Sales [1622], New York: E. P. Dutton, 1876, p. 225 (see the book)
    See also Rom. 13:8-10; Matt. 22:39-40; Mark 12:33; Luke 10:29-37; Rom. 15:2; Gal. 5:14; Jas. 2:8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, increase my love. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Murray: to be helpless

Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
    —John 15:5 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Workers, here is your first lesson: learn to be nothing, learn to be helpless. The man who has got something is not absolutely dependent; but the man who has got nothing is absolutely dependent. Absolute dependence upon God is the secret of all power in work. The branch has nothing but what it gets from the vine, and you and I can have nothing but what we get from Jesus.
    ... Andrew Murray (1828-1917), Absolute Surrender, Bible Institute Colportage Association, 1897, p. 114 (see the book)
    See also John 15:5-6; 5:19,30; 6:36; Acts 20:24; Rom. 7:18; 2 Cor. 3:5; 12:11; Gal. 6:3; Phil. 2:5-8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, all goodness in me comes from You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Yaconelli: our mess

Monday, October 6, 2014
    Feast of William Tyndale, Translator of the Scriptures, Martyr, 1536
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
    —John 6:27 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives.
    ... Mike Yaconelli (1942-2003), Messy Spirituality [2002], Zondervan, 2007, p. 14 (see the book)
    See also John 6:27; Ps. 1:1-2; 119:11; Jer. 9:23-24; Luke 19:5-9; Rom. 8:6-7; 12:2; 1 John 4:6-7; 5:3-4
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are healing my broken life. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Warfield: faith in Christ

Sunday, October 5, 2014
Meditation:
    For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
    —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It is never on account of its formal nature as a mental act that faith is conceived in Scripture to be saving,—as if this frame of mind or attitude of heart were itself a virtue with claims on God for reward... It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or the nature of faith, but in the object of faith.
    ... Benjamin B. Warfield (1851-1921), in “Faith”, q.v., Dictionary of the Bible, v. I, James Hastings, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911, p. 837 (see the book)
    See also Eph. 2:8-9; John 6:44,65; Rom. 1:16; 3:22-24; 4:16; 10:9-10; Gal. 1:8-9; 3:14,22; Col. 2:16-18; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John 5:10-12
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your grace is all. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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