Ramsey: the wrong wealth

Saturday, September 19, 2015
    Commemoration of Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
    —Revelation 3:14-16 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The ordinary historian would probably not condemn the spirit of Laodicea so strenuously as St. John did. In the tendency of the Laodiceans towards a policy of compromise he would probably see a tendency towards toleration and allowance, which indicated a certain sound practical sense, and showed that the various constituents of the population of Laodicea were well mixed and evenly balanced. He would regard its somewhat featureless character and its easy regular development as proving that it was a happy and well-ordered city, in whose constitution “the elements were kindlier mixed” than in any other city of Asia. He would consider probably that its success as a commercial city was the just reward of the strong common sense which characterised its people. St. John, however, was not one of those who regarded a successful career in trade and money-making as the best proof of the higher qualities of citizenship. The very characteristics which made Laodicea a well-ordered, energetic, and pushing centre of trade, seemed to him to evince a coldness of nature that was fatal to the highest side of human character, the spirit of self-sacrifice and enthusiasm.
    ... Sir William M. Ramsay (1851-1939), The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1904, p. 425-426 (see the book)
    See also Rev. 3:14-16; Col. 2:1; 4:13-16
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant Your people passion for Your word and Your service. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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MacDonald: do it

Friday, September 18, 2015
    Commemoration of George MacDonald, Spiritual Writer, 1905
Meditation:
    Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
    —James 1:22 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Instead of so knowing Christ that they have Him in them saving them, they lie wasting themselves in soul-sickening self-examination as to whether they are believers, whether they are really trusting in the atonement, whether they are truly sorry for their sins—the way to madness of the brain and despair of the heart...
    Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have, this day, done one thing because He said, Do it, or once abstained because He said, Do not do it. It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe, in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you.
    ... George MacDonald (1824-1905), “The Truth in Jesus”, in Unspoken Sermons, Second Series, London: Longmans, Green, 1886, p. 244-245 (see the book)
    See also Jas. 1:22; Matt. 7:24-27; 12:50; Luke 6:47-49; 11:28; John 13:17; 14:15; Eph. 4:20-23; 1 John 2:3; 5:3-5
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I am Yours to command. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Schaeffer: repentance for leaders

Thursday, September 17, 2015
    Feast of St. Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, Visionary, 1179
Meditation:
    Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
    —James 3:1 (NIV)
Quotation:
    To the extent that we are in a place of leadership (elder, pastor, teacher or whatever), we must especially hurry to repent because, if we do not, not only will we be hurt but so will the Lord’s work. If we are in the place of leadership, then hurry—hurry and repent when we sin.
    ... Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-1984), No Little People, Downer Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1974, reprint, Crossway, 2003, p. 59 (see the book)
    See also Jas. 3:1; 1 Sam. 15:26; Ps. 32:1-2; Matt. 5:23-26; Mark 1:15; 1 Tim. 3:2-3; 1 John 1:9
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, quicken the consciences of those who lead in Your church. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Cyprian: the will of God

Wednesday, September 16, 2015
    Feast of Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, 258
    Commemoration of Ninian, Bishop of Galloway, Apostle to the Picts, c. 430
    Commemoration of Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, tractarian, 1882
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”
    —Matthew 6:6-7 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Now that is the will of God which Christ both did and taught. Humility in conversation; stedfastness in faith; modesty in words; justice in deeds; mercifulness in works; discipline in morals; to be unable to do a wrong, and to be able to bear a wrong when done; to keep peace with the brethren; to love God with all one’s heart; to love Him in that He is a Father; to fear Him in that He is God; to prefer nothing whatever to Christ, because He did not prefer anything to us; to adhere inseparably to His love; to stand by His cross bravely and faithfully; when there is any contest on behalf of His name and honour, to exhibit in discourse that constancy wherewith we make confession; in torture, that confidence wherewith we do battle; in death, that patience whereby we are crowned;—this is to desire to be fellow-heirs with Christ; this is to do the commandment of God; this is to fulfil the will of the Father.
    ... St. Cyprian (Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus) (?-258), Treatise IV. On the Lord’s Prayer [252], in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, v. V, Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, trs., Buffalo: Christian Literature Company, 1886, p. 451 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 6:6-7; 5:16,39-41; 11:29; Rom. 12:7-8; 1 Cor. 6:18; Phil. 2:8; Jas. 1:5-6;
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant that my will may follow Yours. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Wirt: How to spot a Christian

Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Meditation:
    “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
    Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
    —Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)
Quotation:
    We see [Jesus] exalting love for neighbor along with love for God. He reaches out to foreigners who are beyond the borders of the “Israel of God.” He seeks the release of captives, prisoners, and slaves. He denounces the scribes and religious leaders who “devour the houses of widows.” Despite his well-known requirement of loyalty that surpasses family ties, he insists that a man put the care of his own parents ahead of his obligations to his religion. His treatment of women is radically opposed to the strictures of that day. He exhibits sympathy and understanding toward children. He operates an out-patient clinic wherever he happens to be. He insists upon justice as the basis for everyday dealings between citizens. The social teaching of parables like “the good Samaritan” and incidents such as the encounter with the rich young ruler have had an effect upon his followers that cannot easily be measured. If one summary statement of Jesus’ ethics can be made, it is that love of God is best shown by love of fellow man.
    ... Sherwood Eliot Wirt (1911-2008), The Social Conscience of the Evangelical, New York: Harper & Row, 1968, p. 23 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 22:36-40; 7:16-20; 12:15; 19:18-19; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 4:17-19,40; 10:30-36
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have taken away our sin so that we might become like You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Bonhoeffer: the cost of cheap grace

Monday, September 14, 2015
    Feast of the Holy Cross
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
    “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
    —Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
    Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all he his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ.
    ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), The Cost of Discipleship, Simon and Schuster, 1959, p. 44-45 (see the book)
    See also Matt. 13:44-46; 16:26; 19:29; Luke 14:33; Phil. 3:7-9; Col. 2:2-3
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your grace is the most precious of gifts. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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John Chrysostom: the power of the past

Sunday, September 13, 2015
    Feast of John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, Teacher, 407
Meditation:
    When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
    But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
    —Acts 4:13-20 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It would not have entered the Apostles’ thoughts to preach what they did preach, had they not enjoyed Divine Grace; and that so far from succeeding, they would not even have devised such a thing. Well then, let us also to-day prosecute the same subject in our discourse; and let us shew that it was a thing impossible so much as to be chosen or thought of by them, if they had not had Christ among them: not because they were arrayed, the weak against the strong, not because few against many, not because poor against rich, not because unlearned against wise, but because the strength of their prejudice, too, was great. For ye know that nothing is so strong with men as the tyranny of ancient custom.
    ... St. John Chrysostom (345?-407), Homily VII, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, v. XII, ed. Philip Schaff, New York: Christian Literature Company, 1889, p. 40 (see the book)
    See also Acts 4:13-20; Rom. 10:14-15; 1 Cor. 1:17; Gal. 1:15-17; Eph. 3:8-9
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your word overcomes all obstacles. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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