Saturday, July 31, 2004

Coveting Our Neighbor's Calling

Coveting Our Neighbor's Calling — R. C. Sproul, Jr.

It is a good thing to behold the beauty of another's calling.

One last thought on personal holiness, before we move on the August's topic: We need to rejoice in the holiness we see in others, even when we're blinded by our own failures at same.

Note: For up-to-date writings from R. C., view his blog from the Highlands Study Center.

Saturday, July 24, 2004

Avoiding Escape

The Other "L" Word — R. C. Sproul, Jr.

"There are plenty of passages I don't begin to understand, including some from the pen of Peter. I have no idea what it means that Jesus preached to the souls in prison. But I feel no need to escape it, whatever it means. There are things we don't understand, and then there are things we don't want to understand. There are passages we can't figure out, and passages we can't figure out, because we know it certainly can't mean that."

Saturday, July 17, 2004

Being Faithful in the Small Things

Being Faithful in the Small Things — Rick Saenz

"Often I'll instruct one or another of my children to do something, and there is an immediate outpouring of questions: Why do you want that done? Wouldn't it be better to have so-and-so do it? Wouldn't it be even better if we did this other thing? In one sense, these questions are legitimate and reasonable. Often I tell them to do something that could just as well be left undone, or to do something that could be done much more easily by myself or someone else, or to do something that isn't nearly as desirable as some other thing. But in a more important sense, these questions are beside the point, and I tell them so in roughly these words: 'You must not have heard me properly. I didn't say I wanted such-and-such done—I said that I wanted you to do it.'

Too often we mishear God's commands in just the same way. He commands us to worship Him, and we set about making the service more conducive to worship. He commands us to go and make disciples, and we ponder ways to get people into accountability groups that they might be discipled. He commands us to train up our children, and we seek out a school that can educate them properly. It never occurs to us that God might be less interested in our accomplishments than in our obedience—that doing what we've been told to do, however poorly, is preferable to turning that task over to someone who can do it better. "

Saturday, July 10, 2004

Rising to the Call of Holiness

by Norm Wakefield
www.spiritofelijah.com


Why is this an important issue? Faithfulness in a calling prepares us for all future callings. Unfaithfulness or ignorance of a calling insures greater difficulties in future callings due to lack of preparation. If we love our children, we want to teach and guide them in their foundational calling as our children so they will be prepared for the other important callings of God in their lives. Furthermore, as we understand our callings have to do with our relationships with God, we have a deeper understanding of who we are, why we are the way we are today, and how we may mature and grow in the grace of God. An extremely important principle needs to be applied through all of our callings in life the principle of holiness.

Part 1 - What is holiness?
Part 2 - Holiness is a way of life.
Part 3 - Holiness is motivated by a true understanding of judgment.
Part 4 - What the Bible teaches about judgment and its motivation toward practical holiness.

A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life

A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life

Timely (1729) article on training children up with Christ-like humility.

Saturday, July 03, 2004

Patriarchy: A Good Word for a Hopeful Trend

Patriarchy: A Good Word for a Hopeful Trend

Far from being a term to avoid..., this word is one we should embrace. It is, in fact, a euonym, a good name, because it suitably identifies the movement to which it refers. Not that we favor the cultural stereotype that enters the collective mind today at the sound of the word, but because we embrace a true and wholesome patriarchy, one vindicated by the Word of God and by history.