Owen: no power of our own

Sunday, October 20, 2024
Meditation:
    But [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
    —2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
Quotation:
    We can have no power from Christ unless we live in a persuasion that we have none of our own.
    ... John Owen (1616-1683), V.4 in A Discourse Concerning Holy Spirit, bk. I-V [1674], in Works of John Owen, v. III, London: Johnson & Hunter, 1852, p. 619 (see the book)
    See also 2 Cor. 12:9-10; Acts 5:41; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:35-39; 2 Cor. 4:8-10,17; 13:4; Phil. 2:17; 1 Pet. 4:13-14
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, without You, I am helpless and condemned. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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ten Boom: praying in faith

Saturday, October 19, 2024
    Feast of Henry Martyn, Translator of the Scriptures, Missionary in India & Persia, 1812
Meditation:
    In [Christ Jesus our Lord] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
    —Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Praying in faith comes from an abiding faith in the Person prayed to—the confidence is in Him. It is based on a knowledge of who He is, and on a trusted conviction that He is worthy to be trusted. Praying in faith is the act of a simple-hearted child of God.
    ... Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983), Jesus is Victor, Revell, 1985, p. 201 (see the book)
    See also Eph. 3:12; 2 Cor. 3:3-4; Ps. 118:8-9; Acts 4:31; Heb. 3:3; 4:16; 10:19-22; Rev. 4:11
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, increase my faith so that I might pray in full confidence. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Tozer: God's present voice

Friday, October 18, 2024
    Feast of Luke the Evangelist
Meditation:
    He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
    —2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)
Quotation:
    A church can wither as surely under the ministry of soulless Bible exposition as it can where no Bible at all is given. To be effective the preacher’s message must be alive; it must alarm, arouse, challenge; it must be God’s present voice to a particular people.
    ... A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), Of God and Men, Harrisburg, Penn.: Christian Publications, Inc., 1960, p. 24 (see the book)
    See also 2 Cor. 3:6-9; John 5:21; 6:63; Rom. 3:20; 7:6,9-11; 1 Cor. 2:12-13; 1 Pet. 4:11
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, fill my minister friends _____ and _____ with Your Spirit. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Augustine: joy for the godly

Thursday, October 17, 2024
    Feast of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, Martyr, c.107
Meditation:
    Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
    —Jude 24-25 (KJV)
Quotation:
    There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, but to those who love Thee for Thine own sake, whose joy Thou Thyself art. And this is the happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, for Thee; this it is, and there is no other.
    ... St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Confessions [397], Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1886, X.xxii, p. 260 (see the book)
    See also Jude 1:24-25; Isa. 48:22; John 11:25-26; 14:6; Acts 3;15; Rom. 15:13; Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:4; 1 Pet. 4:13; 1 John 5:12
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are my true joy. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Pinnock: neutrality?

Wednesday, October 16, 2024
    Commemoration of the Oxford Martyrs, Hugh Latimer, Nicolas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer, bishops and martyrs, 1555
Meditation:
    Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
    —John 12:42-43 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It is impossible to be neutral about Jesus Christ. We must either accept or reject his claims. Not to decide is to decide. He does not call us to a merely verbal confession or a merely intellectual commitment, but to an unreserved decision to build our lives on Christ as a foundation.
    ... Clark H. Pinnock (1937-2010), A Case for Faith, Bethany House, 1987, p. 90 (see the book)
    See also John 12:42-43; Matt. 7:21-27; 10:32; 28:17; Mark 3:35; Luke 12:8; John 1:11-13; 7:3-5; Rom. 10:10; 1 John 4:2
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are the cornerstone of my life. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Watson: a cause for joy

Tuesday, October 15, 2024
    Feast of Teresa of Avila, Mystic, Teacher, 1582
Meditation:
    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
    —Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Quotation:
    To know that nothing hurts the godly, is a matter of comfort; but to be assured that ALL things which fall out shall cooperate for their good, that their crosses shall be turned into blessings, that showers of affliction water the withering root of their grace and make it flourish more; this may fill their hearts with joy till they run over.
    ... Thomas Watson (c.1620-1686), preface, A Divine Cordial [1657], Religious Tract Society, 1848, p. 3 (see the book)
    See also Rom. 8:28; Deut. 8:5; Ps. 23:4-6; 91:9-10; 126:5-6; Pr. 3:11-12; Matt. 5:4; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17; Heb. 12:7; Jas. 1:2-3; 5:11; 1 Pet. 1:6; 4:13-14; 5:10; Rev. 3:19
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, in faith I embrace Your discipline. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Kurosaki: the great Conductor

Monday, October 14, 2024
Meditation:
    Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
    —1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (NIV)
Quotation:
    God is the great Conductor, and the individual members of the orchestra [namely, the whole body of Christ] each play their varying parts on different instruments; but if all follow the Conductor the whole composition will be a complete and beautiful symphony in perfect harmony.
    ... Kokichi Kurosaki (1886-1970), One Body in Christ, Kobe, Japan: Eternal Life Press, 1954, ch. 5 (see the book)
    See also 1 Cor. 12:12-31; John 17:20-21; Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 1:10; 10:16-17; Eph. 3:6; 4:3-13; 5:19-20; Col. 3:15; 1 Pet. 3:8
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, help me to honor the many roles to which You have appointed Your people. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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