You may not have 17 minutes to watch this, but the point is clear: racial harmony IS biblical. May we be diligent to live our lives out of our convictions and not convenience. Grace to you all…
Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.
“The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1954), 23.
When I was a kid, I religiously read the Choose Your Own Adventure books (see http://www.cyoa.com). I loved the non-reality of making the “wrong decision” (which lead to death), or the “right decision” (leading to success, or the next page) the book brought me. It was well, and adventure. Psalm 1:1-2 states:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Obviously, we could read more about this verse but for the sake of time, I want to jump straight to it’s application. The blessed person is the one who takes delight in the law of the Lord by meditating day and night on the law. In view of the context, he referring to the Torah, but I think it’s application bears out on for us the entire counsels of the Word.
The beginning of a new years affords us the opportunity to reflect on what we will delight in throughout 2012. My hope is that you would consider delighting in the majesty of God in His Word. There are magnificent things in the Bible, we just have to observe them as we watch the Holy Spirit revive our heart’s affection and mind’s attention to the glory of the God who made us.
So, it’s time to choose your own adventure through the Bible this year. You know your needs and your heart better than I, and there are numerous reading plans through the Bible you could take this year. But I encourage you to pick one, and stick to it, because as Winston Churchill once said; “he who fails to plan is planning to fail.”
Which adventure will you choose?
M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan (This plan is based on the M’Cheyne reading system, featuring four different readings each day; two passages from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and one from either the Psalms or the Gospels. In one year, you read the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice.): http://www.esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.one.year.tract.pdf
ESV Study Bible Reading Plan (This plan includes readings from four sections of the Bible each day: the Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.): http://www.esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.esv.study.bible.pdf
5x5x5 Reading Plan (Read through the New Testament in 5 days a week, 5 minutes a day.): http://www.navpress.com/images/pdfs/9781576839768.pdf
Read it Historically (the order in which they were written): http://www.blueletterbible.org/reader/daily/PDF/Plan5.pdf
Read it Chronologically (the order in which they took place): http://www.esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.chronological.pdf
Hope this helps as you plan how you engage the Scriptures in 2012!
Dr. Piper asks some insightful questions that I felt helpful. Among them:
Have I lived up to what I teach?
Have I become lazy?
Am I more comfortable with my stuff that I have diminished Christ from my life?
Please watch… and reflect on how 2012 might be different.
Desiring God Mission Update — with Pastor John from Desiring God on Vimeo.
A lady on our staff sent this video to me in regards to the DMin program.
While I don’t pay that much, or have an Avatar – I probably am insane to attempt to take all of it on while also working a full time job, plus adding children to our family.
Today marks the 328th anniversary of the death of John Owen. If you don’t know who that is… shame on you. Just kidding – but seriously. You can go HERE to learn more about the man and the Reformer.
Below is a selection that I thought would be beneficial to you today.
“Christ is full of grace and truth. He is full and therefore sufficient to fulfill the purposes of grace. He was full of grace so as to be an example of obedience both to men and angels. He was full of grace so as to have uninterrupted communion with God. He is full of grace to supply all the needs of his people. He is full of grace to show forth the glory of the divine nature through his human nature. He is full of grace to bring his people to perfect victory over every trail and temptation. He is full of grace to enable his people to obey every righteous and holy law of God. He is full of grace to the utmost capacity of a limited, created, finite nature. He is full of grace to bring the fullest pleasure and delight to his Father. He is full of grace as an everlasting monument to the glory of God in giving such inconceivable excellencies to the Son of man.”
From Communion with God, John Owen, 1657.
Martin Lindstrom writes a fascinating article in Fast Company about our routines and what buying habits. He performed a survey on babies under two by placing a Blackberry in their hand. Immediately, each one moved their fingers on the screen anticipating it to move like you might see an iPhone or iPad perform. Once it refused, they quickly set the phone down and moved on to more important things.
What does this reveal about us? Before Adele is two, she is already Apple Branded.
Martin continues by explaining what is deeper than just being branded; because of these new (and improved) technological advances, we are more apt to grow impatient with the new forms of technology. He describes that after a vacation, we used to wait several days to recount the memories of our trip by having all the pictures developed – but now, we take a photo, quickly look at it and discard it anticipating some other thrill we might have.
We never stop and reflect – because we are too impatient.
Where are you exercising impatience?
Have you taken time to stop and reflect on your day, your time your life?
Unless we develop this new routine, we may not become the people that God calls us to be. Holy.
El Cielo de Canarias / Canary sky – Tenerife from Daniel López on Vimeo.
May your heart be stirred to worship GOD as you see the beauty of this creation!
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
‘Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am –
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.-Count N. L. von Zinzendorf