Machen: the foreordained steps

Saturday, December 19, 2020
Meditation:
    And [the Lord] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
    —Colossians 1:18 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Straight through all the apparently tangled course of human history runs the accomplishment of God’s eternal plan.
    ... J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937), The Christian View of Man, The Macmillan Company, 1937, p. 80 (see the book)
    See also Col. 1:17-23; Ps. 111:9; Mark 10:45; Rom. 3:22-26; 1 Tim. 2:5-6
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have sent Your plan in a Man. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Brunner: Christ Himself

Friday, December 18, 2020
Meditation:
Posterity will serve [the LORD];
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness
    to a people yet unborn—
    for he has done it.
    —Psalm 22:30-31 (NIV)
Quotation:
    For the Platonic or Aristotelian philosophy it is of no importance whether Plato or Aristotle ever lived. For the mystical practice of an Indian, Persian, Chinese, or Neo-Platonic mystic it is a matter of indifference whether Rama, Buddha, Laotse, or Porphyrius are myths or not. The mystic has no personal relation to them. It is not here a question of somebody telling me the truth which of myself I cannot find, but of my finding an access to the depths of the world in the depths of my soul. And everywhere the tendency is to eliminate personality. Even where religion does not have this mystical character, it has no relation to an historical person, who communicates himself to me. That is the characteristic essence of the Christian faith alone. Even where a prophet plays the role of a mediator-of-divine-truth, as for example in [Islam], the religious act is not directed toward him ... but toward his teaching or message. But the Christian does not believe in the teaching of Jesus—which would not be Christian faith, but general religion—he believes in Christ Himself as being the Word of God.
    ... Emil Brunner (1889-1966), The Word and the World, London: Student Christian Movement Press, 1931, p. 20 (see the book)
    See also Ps. 22:30-31; Matt. 9:9; John 1:1; 20:31; Col. 1:15
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are Christ. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Sayers: Mary and Martha

Thursday, December 17, 2020
    Commemoration of Dorothy Sayers, Teacher and Spiritual Writer, 1957
    Commemoration of Eglantyne Jebb, Social Reformer, Founder of ‘Save the Children’, 1928
Meditation:
    “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
    —Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)
Quotation:
    I think I have never heard a sermon preached on the story of Mary and Martha that did not attempt, somehow, somewhere, to explain away its text. Mary’s, of course, was the better part—the Lord said so, and we must not precisely contradict Him. But we will be careful not to despise Martha. No doubt, He approved of her, too. We could not get on without her, and indeed (having paid lip-service to God’s opinion) we must admit that we greatly prefer her, for Martha was doing a really feminine job, whereas Mary was just behaving like any other disciple; and that is a hard pill to swallow.
    ... Dorothy Leigh Sayers (1893-1957), Unpopular Opinions, London: Gollancz, 1946, New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1947, p. 148 (see the book)
    See also Luke 10:38-42
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, grant me the spirit of service to You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Barclay: hand of Christ

Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Meditation:
    And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
    —Revelation 21:3-4 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The hand of Christ is strong enough to uphold the heavens and gentle enough to wipe away our tears.
    ... William Barclay (1907-1978), The Revelation of John, v. I, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1961, reprint, Saint Andrew Press, 1965, p. 63 (see the book)
    See also Rev. 21:3-4; John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Rev. 1:14-18; 7:17
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I place my trust in You for all things. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Owen: perfect peace

Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Meditation:
    Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
    —Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
Quotation:
    There is a state of perfect peace with God to be attained under imperfect obedience.
    ... John Owen (1616-1683), An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, ch. VIII-X, in Works of John Owen, v. XXIII, London: Johnson & Hunter, 1855, p. 251 (see the book)
    See also Phil. 2:12-13; Ps. 85:8; Isa. 53:5; John 13:17; 14:27; Col. 3:15
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, incline my heart towards obedience to Your word. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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John of the Cross: suffering

Monday, December 14, 2020
    Feast of John of the Cross, Mystic, Poet, Teacher, 1591
Meditation:
    I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
    —Philippians 3:10-12 (NIV)
Quotation:
    O you souls who wish to go on with so much safety and consolation, if you knew how pleasing to God is suffering, and how much it helps in acquiring other good things, you would never seek consolation in anything; but you would rather look upon it as a great happiness to bear the Cross of the Lord.
    ... St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), The Complete Works of Saint John of the Cross, v. III, Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1935, p. 154 (see the book)
    See also Phil. 3:10-12; 1:29-30; Col. 1:24; Jas. 5:10-11; 1 Pet. 4:13-14
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have sanctified my suffering. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Johnson: we try to reform

Sunday, December 13, 2020
    Advent III
    Feast of Lucy, Martyr at Syracuse, 304
    Commemoration of Samuel Johnson, Writer, Moralist, 1784
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
    —Luke 18:7-8 (NIV)
Quotation:
    We took tea, by Boswell’s desire; and I eat one bun, I think, that I might not be seen to fast ostentatiously.
    When I find that so much of my life has stolen unprofitably away, and that I can descry by retrospection scarcely a few single days properly and vigorously employed, why do I yet try to resolve again? I try, because reformation is necessary and despair is criminal. I try, in humble hope of the help of God.
    ... Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), Prayers and Meditations, London: Vernor, Hood, and Sharpe, 1806, Good Friday, April 14, 1775, p. 114-115 (see the book)
    See also Luke 18:7-8; Ps. 121:1-2; Matt. 6:16-18; 2 Cor. 4:7-10; 7:10
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, renew my hope for true obedience to Your law. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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