Sovereignty & Suffering

Thank you to Between Two Worlds for posting this convicting and inspiring video. Take 7 minutes and watch it.

I get angry when there's traffic, or my order isn't right at a restaurant, or there's too much noise in the office. I fail to see all of these things as the gracious hand of sovereign providence in my life for my good and to advance God's glory.

I am so convinced by this man's testimony, and so grateful for the Savior who saved me from this constant sin in me.

GREAT NEWS!!!

I found out today that iTunes has finally listed to all the recommendations I made (and others I'm sure), and they put the entire West Coast Revival CD in their music store.

I've been listening to it all day!!!

Also, thank you to my friend Al Moore for making me aware that Sovereign Grace Ministries is now offering all of their mp3 sermons for free.

Here are just a few of the dozens speakers with free sermons to download:

Mark Dever
Wayne Grudem
Carolyn Mahaney
C.J. Mahaney
John MacArthur
Al Mohler
John Piper
David Powlison
R.C. Sproul
Bruce Ware

I hope you're life is enriched by these many of the other excellent resources on this site. Also, if you have any suggestions about speakers or sermons on the SGM site please leave them in the comments. Thank you.

Worship, Pastoring, and The Savior

Here are some highlights from my Bible reading today.

A psalm of worship...

Psalm 67

0 A Psalm. A Song.
1 God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us-- Selah.
2 That Your way may be known on the earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You will judge the peoples with uprightness and guide the nations on the earth. Selah.
5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
6 The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us.
7 God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

...a mission statement for pastors...

"We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me" (Colossians 1:28-29).

...and to exalt the Savior.

Jesus "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:15-20).

Happy in God

When Christian heroes write phrases like "this one thing I do," or "I make it my ambition," or "the most important thing I've learned," or "the key to my life," or "the meaning of life is," I sit up and take notice.

Well, in preparing for a lecture I'm about to give on George Mueller I came across this:

“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished” (George Mueller, A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealing with George Muller, Written by Himself, Jehovah Magnified. Addresses by George Muller Complete and Unabridged, 1:271).

...and...

“According to my judgment the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last five and thirty years. For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I specially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself" (Ibid., 2:730-731).

I need this. God, how I need to do this daily. I need to read the Bible with this goal in mind, taking what I read and making myself happy in God by it.

Thank God for encouragements and rebukes from dead friends.

David Brainerd II

There have been so many penetrating quotes in Jonathan Edward's The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, but so far my favorite is "Oh, the closest walk with God is the sweetest heaven that can be enjoyed on earth."

I remember praying, many many many times, "God I desperately want to have the closest relationship with you that is humanly possible while on earth. Please do what You must to make that a reality. Like Paul, I want to know you so badly (Phil 3:10)."

Sadly, I've lost sight of that singular passion as time has gone by, but listening to Brainerd's diary has rekindled that flame, even though that is a very difficult, challenging, convicting prayer to pray because God wants that from us too, so He'll seek to remove all that hinders the closeness of that relationship, which at times can be very painful.

Three parts of the whole audiobook is available for free download here.

You can listen to this particular quote in context at 1 minute and 26 seconds into the mp3 for part two.

David Brainerd

If you workout or if you have a job where you can listen to an iPod, please click here and download the three mp3s on the Life of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards, which was Edward's most popular work. I've listened to all of part 2 and half of part 1 and I've been so impressed and humbled by what I've heard from his journals.

He puts in writing what I've felt and feel as a Christian who struggles with his own sin and his own desires to be more fully devoted to God than he is. He has an uncanny knack for examining, laying bare and diagnosing his own heart, a trait I wish I had. There is an honesty and transparency that's so refreshing in our 'holier-than-thou,' plastic, fake, 'happy-happy-joy-joy' churches.

You will do your heart a tremendous favor by listening to these mp3s.