Friday, January 29, 2010

He Has Taken Up Our Cause

I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit;
         you heard my plea, 'Do not close your ear to my cry for help!'
You came near when I called on you; you said, 'Do not fear!'
         You have taken up my cause, O Lord; you have redeemed my life.
Lamentations 3:55-58 ESV

Changing Habits

  1. Identify the Habit you want to change.
    1. You might need help with this. If so, get help.
  2. Identify the path of the habit.
    1. Identify how you go from not doing the habit to doing the habit.
    2. What is it that starts you on the journey and what are the steps that make up the journey?
    3. How do you stop doing the habit after you’ve begun doing it?
    4. What do you do as a result of having done the habit yet again?

Consistent Living In A World Gone Mad

One of our young gents, I’ll call him Bill, wrote a post in response to Pastor Douglas Wilson’s posts regarding the issue of food. Food? You say. Yes, food. They are both arguing that food has something to do with spreading the Gospel. Pastor Wilson says that we can eat anything we want, as long as we are grateful to the Lord for providing it. He adds that there is nothing sinful about food unless one attempts to bind the consciences of those brothers and sisters around us who think differently than we do.

Bill agrees with Pastor Wilson, but doesn’t think Pastor Wilson goes far enough with his train of thought. He agrees with Pastor Wilson that we live in an ugly world, which is growing uglier every day. Abortion, murder, rape, and any number of other sinful practices are growing in leaps and bounds all around us. Bill says that food, or rather, where we get the food, impacts this discussion because many of our food sources come from people who mistreat their animals, mistreat the earth, mistreat just about everything around them, and therefore we should not partake of their wares. In fact, if we do, we are sinning.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Great Is the Lord

I will extol you, my God and King,
         and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
         and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
         and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend your works to another,
         and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
         and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
         and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
         and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
         slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

A Legacy of Awe

In Psalm 145 we are presented with a legacy of awe. One devastating, tragic result of the materialism and secularism of Western culture is that it has taken from us the awe of God. Awe was meant to keep you safe, to make you humble, to motivate you to be moral, to draw you to seek the grace you so desperately need, and to convince you to live for something bigger than yourself! Awe was meant to get you up in the morning and to give you rest at night. Awe was meant to remind you that your hope is not to be found in what you achieve or possess, but is only ever to be found in the glory of the character and plan of Another. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, 221

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Wisdom and Folly

He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not is a fool; avoid him.
He who knows not, and knows that he knows not is a wise man; teach him.
Anonymous

Walk by the Spirit

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:19-26 ESV

Astonishingly Blind

In each of our lives, this passage [Gal. 5:19-26] is meant to function as a tool of personal insight and a spur to transformation. Each of us suffers from a distorted view of self. As sinners, it is hard for us to be objective and accurate in our self-assessment. During counseling, countless people have angrily declared to me that they were not angry, or self-righteously declared to me that that they were not self-righteous. People can be astonishingly blind to the impact they have on others, and stone deaf to the tone of their own voice. Indeed, one of the main functions of the Bible is to help us see ourselves as we actually are. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 214.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Heart is Free

Where love is the compelling power, there is no sense of strain or conflict or bondage in doing what is right; the man or woman who is compelled by Jesus’ love and empowered by his Spirit does the will of God from the heart. For (as Paul would say from experience) “where the Spirit of the Lord is, the heart is free.”
Anonymous.

With My Whole Heart

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.  With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!  I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:9-11 ESV

Quality of Relationships

John [the Apostle] essentially says that if you want to know the true quantity of your relationship with God, don't look at your theological knowledge, biblical literacy, church involvement, etc. (although all these are very important). Instead, you should look at the quality of the relationships you have with those whom you live closest to. It is impossible truly to love God and not live lovingly with the people God has placed you near. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 210.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Should Pastors Wear Special Clothing? Addendum 1

Pastor Lawyer, if you were asked to preach in a church where the normal pastor wears a robe to preach in every Sunday, would you wear one?

I really don’t know. I’m pretty sure wearing a collar would be something I will not do. It would take a lot of talking with some very wise old men to convince me to do it.

If the church didn’t care what kind of robe I wore,

Apart from Me

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 ESV

Surpassing Honor

How could it be that God would place his name on me? How could it be that he would pick me up in his hands and use me as a tool of renewal, restoration, and redemption? No matter how much worldly success I achieve, no matter how much wealth I acquire, no matter how much honor in the eyes of others I am given, and no matter how many wonderful things I experience, there is nothing that could ever compete or compare with the surpassing honor of knowing God and being chosen to be part of what he is doing on earth. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 201.

In Proportion to Faith

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:6-8 ESV

Member Involvement

Nothing warms a pastor’s heart more than seeing church members take the gospel seriously and begin using their own initiative and imagination to become involved in the mission of the church…  
The Tender Shepherd, John Killinger, p. 133.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Bought With A Price

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV

Too Content

If God is dissatisfied, then I should be as well. Yet I am persuaded that our problem is not that we are dissatisfied, but that we are all too easily satisfied. We are easily satisfied with an externalistic and episodic Christianity that lives most fully on Sunday morning. We are easily satisfied with an approach to theological knowledge and biblical literacy that does not reshape and redefine how we live. We easily are satisfied with marriages that are more marital detente than they are pictures of one-flesh unity. We are easily satisfied with raising children who learn to jump through our behavioral hoops, but don't really have hearts for God. We are easily satisfied having casual relationships with neighbors who live in darkness and desperately need to see the Light of Life. We are all too content to lower our standards enough to participate in entertainment that is increasingly perverse in its depiction life. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 197.

Cut Off From God's Tree

Hi Wilbur,

I agree with you that Christians' treatment of Jews over the years has been reprehensible. God does too. The Bible does not say that we should hate the Jews because they killed Jesus. As you pointed out the Romans actually killed him. But that isn't the point either. We don't hate Romans because they killed Jesus either.

As an aside Romans and Italians aren't the same group. When you go to Italy and ask the folks if they are Romans, Italians get rather upset at you if they aren't Romans. There seems to be a pretty strong distinction between Romans and Italians. I was kind of surprised. But then, even in the first century, there was a huge difference between Romans and everyone else, even those living in what became Italy in the 1800s.

But I digress.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Majestic in Holiness

Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?  You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.
Exodus 15:11-12 ESV

Life Is Ministry

So, no part of my life belongs to me, not even the most intimate area. There is no location, situation, relationship, or dimension of my life that belongs to me. Everything I have and everything I am belongs to the Lord. It is all his for the using.
This means that I have been brought into relationship with God not only so that I could be rescued from myself, but so that I may be part of God’s rescue of others. My life exists for his purposes, and I was given life and breath to help maximize the glory of Another. This is why life is ministry. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 196.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Christ Lives In Me

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 ESV

A Ministry Mentality

This side of eternity, healthy relationship are healthy because the people living in those relationships approach them with a ministry mentality. You never wake up to a world that has been freed from the Fall, and you never spend time with people who have escaped the curse of sin. Because of this, ministry is not something you can relegate to an area of your life or a formal slot on your schedule. No, you and I must enter each situation of life with a ministry mentality. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 195.

Should Pastors Wear Special Clothing? Part 3

Fifth, the argument that doctors wear special clothing, plumbers wear special clothing, policemen and soldiers wear special clothing and thus pastors ought to wear special clothing is also false. It reminds me of a John Piper book, Brothers, We are not Professionals. Pastors are not professionals and thus their clothing should not be thought of as uniforms of some kind. I understand the desire to make yourself stand out in a crowd. I’ve heard that many conversations about the Gospel happen with men who wear collars on airplanes and other public places.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Fear of Ugly Galoots

Hi Wilbur,

You said some things in this post that I thought you needed answers to.

You wondered why people feel guilty for things they do or don't do. I believe it is because that is the way God made the world. The Bible tells us that everyone knows that God exists. They see it in creation, the feel it in their bones, they realize it when they or someone else does something wrong or right. The fact of wrong or right proves God's existence.

A Short Look At Repentance


Repentance, by itself means changing your mind. In the context of God and the Christian life it means to change you mind from you being the center of your life to God being the center of your life. When a mind gets changed, behavior naturally changes. The kind of sin you have been involved in is not the same kind of sin as a 10-year-old stealing candy from the local supermarket.

Cleanse Ourselves

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV

Ministry Required

What is the biblical view of marriage? Let me summarize it for you. Marriage involves a flawed person, in a comprehensive and interdependent love relationship with another flawed person, in the middle of a fallen world, but with a faithful God. Because this is the unchangeable reality of every marriage, there is not a day in any marriage where ministry is not required. The person you are living with is in the process of being restored. Your spouse is not yet the person God created him or her to be in this life. By his grace, God has drafted you into his service and called you to be a tool of restoration in the life of your spouse.
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 194.

Should Pastors Wear Special Clothing? Part 2

Third, when someone does something other than what everyone else is doing there is some kind of an effect. If most people wear their hats with the bills pointing forward, and someone comes along wearing his sideways, he comes off looking like a doofus. But if the person wearing his hat sideways is someone everyone admires and respects, it suddenly becomes stylish to wear it that way. Then when people who don’t carry that initial weight wear their hats sideways, everyone thinks they too have that kind of status, whether they really do or not. When pastors wear clothing that separates them out from the rest of the church—collars, robes, etc.—because of their position in the church, it points to them as being “different” in everyone’s eyes. There is no way it can’t. That’s the nature of how people think. When the pastor points to himself by how he dresses, it automatically says something about who he is and the office he holds. I must say that in my, old guy, opinion I have to think at least twice when I see someone wearing a collar or robe. My first thought is that this guy is a Roman Catholic priest, I need to witness to him. Then my second thought is that he looks very effeminate in that getup and I need to give him counsel. My third thought is, oh wait, I know that guy and he’s neither of those things. Huh.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Should Pastors Wear Special Clothing? Part 1

Let’s talk. Here is my view. Perhaps you have a different one and would be willing to interact with me on this.

I’m against Pastors wearing special clothing. That’s pretty simple isn’t it? Okay, let me explain a bit. First, I can find no Scriptural precedent for Christian pastors dressing differently than any other Christian. All Christians are priests of the most high God (1 Pet. 2:9) and Jesus is our High Priest (Heb 7). It is true that Paul says that he acted in a priestly service on behalf of the Gentiles (Rom. 15:16), but in the context he is doing exactly what all Christians are supposed to do in their roles as priests. We are all supposed to be ministering as priests to those around us. So, if we are to wear special clothing because we are priests, then all Christians should wear special clothing, not just pastors.

Do All...

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

My Calling

Brief moments of
Kingdom consciousness
followed by
days and days
of self- sovereignty
and self- interest.
I give
so little of me
yet I have received
so much of You.

Feeling A Bit Depressed?

Hope for the Depressed by Ed Welch

Friday, January 15, 2010

By This They Will Know

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 13:34-35 ESV

Being an Instrument of Cross Shaped Love Pt. 4

It means being willing to endure tense and uncomfortable situations lovingly.
It means not allowing yourself plausible excuses that seem­ingly free you from love's call.
It means making a commitment to being a faithful friend.
It means being willing to take on big things, even as you humbly admit your limits.
It means keeping your promises and being faithful to your word.
It means being open to correction, loving criticism, and godly rebuke.
It means believing in the body of Christ and recognizing that you are but one of the tools in God's big toolbox of redemption.
It means being open to counsel and receptive to advice.

Cannot Be A Christian

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:25-33 ESV

Too Far From God

When I was a young man, I turned away from God with the common, “there are too many hypocrites in the church” slogan. It seemed to me, in all my vast knowledge of things, that I didn’t know anyone who acted or even tried to live the Christian life. At least, not in the way I understood it to be presented in the Bible. Of course, looking back, I did know plenty of godly Christians, but because I assumed everyone was a hypocrite, I called those who actually lived their faith, “Jesus Freaks.”

A young man, I had recently met, invited me to come to church with him. When I told him I’d rather not, he asked me why? I told him that there were too many hypocrites in the church. I told him that everyone I knew, who claimed to be a Christian, was either faking it or not even trying very hard. I was fed up with church and tired of hypocrites.

The Most Jewish Of All

Pastor,
I tried answering your statements, sorry if it is a bit angry, I just have had too much experience with racist Christians:

I think after just seeing 20 minutes of the movie "Passion of the Christ" that the critics are accurate, Gibson is quite a bigot to make such a thing when it clearly attacks what we identify as "jewish" looking people as Hitler did in the Shoah. Strangely depictions of Jesus always make him Northern European to assuage the real Christian who is actually a cover for white supremacy. Not at all in Latin America and Africa, but then again, the Catholics are there in droves more than the Right Wing Evangelicals… All that being said, Jesus was a circumcised Jew....and whether a bunch of women saw him or this was written almost 40 years after the man died who really knows if they are making it up or not…. And the death on the cross was really so terrible considering the massive torture of the Jewish people in Germany in the Holocaust little girls and boys raped and burned, experimented on? Or are you a Holocaust denied as well?
Wilbur 

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Outdo One Another In Love

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:10-15 ESV

Being an Instrument of Cross Shaped Love Pt. 3

It means not letting race, social class, gender, age, or ethnicity get in the way of a biblical call to Christlike love.
It means being willing to have your schedule and plans interrupted or altered.
It means being willing to grant and seek forgiveness.
It means paying attention to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the people God puts in your path, and look­ing for ways to help them bear these burdens.
It means believing that God will not call you to a task with­out giving you what you need to accomplish it.
It means being willing to get up earlier and stay up later.
It means learning the details about someone's struggle so that you can love wisely, while at the same time guarding the reputation of the person you are loving.
It means weeping with the one who weeps and rejoicing with the one who rejoices.
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 173.

Who's Crazy Now?

Pastor,

I am not sure what you mean by Charles Manson, seems like he screwed himself which is not much in keeping if you think you have just this life and no other. As far as evolution, there are very good scientists that can explain better than I can how it came to be, but morality is just a relative thing depending on your society's context mostly due to a lot of factors. A good person on this is Stephen Pinker. About hating Jesus, that's kind of silly, it is very likely that no such person exists from what I've read and heard not getting into specific issues, but how is the gap in writing explained and the death of evidence of his existence in Roman records?

Wilbur

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Leave It To God

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:19-21 ESV

Being an Instrument of Cross Shaped Love Pt. 2

It means being lovingly and humbly honest in moments of misunderstanding; more committed to reconciliation than to being right.
It means admitting that you are still learning to love as you have been loved.
It means being willing to own up to your sin and admit your faults.
It means not judging the success of your life by the size of your house or bank account, or by the quality of your car, but by the quality of your love for God and others.
It means regularly examining the motivations, desires, and thoughts of your heart in the mirror of God's Word.
It means moving beyond simply surrounding yourself with people whom you find comfortable and likeable.
It means being a student of God's Word, a joyful participant in the means of grace, and a committed participant in the fel­lowship of the body of Christ, so that the love you offer others may be increasingly pure and mature.
It means being willing to be misunderstood, mistreated, and
misrepresented for the sake of incarnating Christ's love.
It means overcoming evil with good. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 173.

Lenses that Organize

I prefer a more organic style of Christian living. So I am content to read my Bible and strive to live in front of God and with my fellow man in a way that is consistent with the simple Word of God. I know, however, that there are some who need a more systematic mechanism in order to do anything. If you are one of these people you will notice that the preliminary steps to good Biblical counseling, which is what this course is made up of, look an awful lot like Presuppositional Apologetics. Let me take a few minute here to explain how this works.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Greater Love

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
1 John 3:16 ESV

Being an Instrument of Cross Shaped Love Pt. 1

It means not keeping yourself so busy with you and yours that you have no practical time to love others.
It means being committed to knowing people, because you can minister only in very limited ways to those whom you do not know.
It means being willing to have your life complicated by the needs and struggles of others.
It means being willing to share your physical resources with others.
It means being willing to live with an open home.
It means being perseverant and patient even when the love you give is not returned.
It means actively looking for places where you can function as one of God's tools of love.
It means resisting the temptation to be judgmental, self-righteous, and critical.
It means overlooking minor offenses and fighting the temp­tation to become bitter or cynical.
It means making life decisions out of a recognition of this inescapable call to love.
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 172.

Friday, January 08, 2010

God's Pharmacy

God left us a great clue as to what foods  help what part of our  body!
God's Pharmacy!  Amazing!

A  sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The  pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye.... And YES, science now shows carrots  greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

For Works of Ministry

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Ephesians 4:11-14 ESV

An Instrument of Love

This community of love is meant to comfort the person who is discouraged, to strengthen the person who is weak, to give hope to the person who has none, to be present with the person who is alone, to guide the person who has lost his way, to give wisdom to the person lost in foolishness, to warn the person who is beginning to wander, to correct the person turning the wrong way, to give eyes to the person who is blind to God’s presence, and to be a physical representation of God’s presence and love…So, as you are living in the broken-down house, what does God call you to do? There is one sure and reliable answer to the question: he calls you to be an instrument of his love. 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 168.

Living Like It Is True

Pastor,

 I thought a lot about what you said [people feel guilt and shame because they are guilty of breaking God’s laws]. I think it comes down to this really for many religious people I know. That being said, would you consider the possibility that the voice telling you you did something wrong could be part of a brain system developed over a long period of time similar to animals but more evolved for a purpose that may have nothing to do with God talking to you? I mean could you consider this as a possibly true statement given enough evidence to that effect?

Cordially, Wilbur

Suffering: Preparation for Greater Things

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:1 ESV

A Time of Preparation

Waiting and hoping are biblical and legitimate. But he issue for now is not the future. The issue for now is now. The question is not, “When will we get what we are waiting for?” but “What we will become as we wait?” Passages like Romans 5 and 8, James 1, and 1 Peter 1 remind us that God is not just working on bringing things to a final end. He is working on us! The agenda during this moment is not destination, but preparation; not “How can I get the good stuff ASAP” but “How is God working to change me now in anticipation of then?” 
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 165.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Faithfulness Gains Great Reward

As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.

Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Engage in business until I come.' But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.' When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made five minas.' And he said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities.' Then another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' He said to him, 'I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?' And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.' And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas!' 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.'"

Luke 19:11-27 ESV

Mundane Moments

You and I live in these little, mundane moments. The character of a life is not set in three or four moments of huge significance. No, the character of a life is set in 10,000 little moments, one after another. The character formed in those innumerable little moments is what positions us to respond in the big moments of life
Broken-Down House, Paul David Tripp, p. 145.

A New Beginning

I made a new covenant with the Lord, which was: of my part, that I would reform these sins by his grace: pride, covetousness, love of this world, vanity of mind, unthankfulness, sloth, both in his service and in my calling, not preparing myself with reverence and uprightness to come to his word. Of the Lord’s part, that he would give me a new heart, joy in his Spirit, that he would dwell with me and, that he would strengthen me against the world, the flesh and the devil, that he would forgive my sins and increase my faith.
— John Winthrop