Hungry?

John Wesley, the 18th century Church of England cleric who is credited (along with brother Charles) with the founding of the Methodist movement, has left us quite a library of written works, including both hymns and sermons. In the introduction to one of his collections of sermons, he expresses his hunger for God's Word. Oh that God would give me this kind of yearning for the Scriptures! Here is Wesley in his own words:

"I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God, just hovering over the great gulf, till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity. I want to know one thing - the way to heaven, how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach me the way. For this very end he came from heaven. He has written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri ("a man of one book"). Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone. Only God is here. In his presence I open, I read his book - for this end, to find the way to heaven."

O God, make us all a people unius libri (of one book)!!! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

The Defanging of Death!

Yesterday was an emotional day for me. I did something that I have done countless times in the past for both strangers and close friends and even family members. I officiated at a funeral. The individual who died was a member of my church family and a dear friend. His faith in Christ was strong. This enables me to mourn his departure from this earth with hope.

Those who knew John, knew he was a bear of a man. On a first encounter with him, one could easily find himself intimidated by John's large frame and loud voice. But John was not a man to be feared. As his wife put it, "Some thought of him as a grizzly bear, but he was really a big teddy bear with a heart of gold." I knew John. I agree with this assessment.

John died as a result of a battle with cancer. During the last months of his earthly life, his once strong, muscular body slowly wasted away as the disease raged on. But even though his body lost its strength, his faith never wavered. He spirit was strong to the end!

As I think about my friend this morning, the following Scripture come to mind:

1.  1 Corinthians 15:42-43 - Certainly John's body showed it's weakness in its latter days. But there is coming a day that this body sown in dishonor and weakness will be raised in glory and power!  Wow!

2.  1 Corinthians 15:55-56 - These verses remind us that even though it might appear that death has won - we know better! The victory and sting of death are momentary at best --- for the ultimate victory has been won for us by Christ on the cross!

3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - Here the Apostle Paul encourages us to grieve when a loved one dies - but we are not to do so as those "who have no hope." Why? Because we have hope! And our hope is found in the promised return of Jesus Christ and the future resurrection of the body! One day Christ will return. When he does so, if we are still alive on this earth - at that very moment we will be transformed and reunited with our loved ones who have preceded us in the Faith. What a glorious day that will be! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Thanks for stopping by ... and John, I will see you later!

pj

Think on This!

D.A. Carson is one of evangelicalism's leading New Testament scholars. I was privileged to sit under his teaching during my Doctor of Ministry program. When he writes a new book or article, it's always on my list to read. Below is a quote I stumbled across that hit me right between my spiritual eyes. I offer it up to you to think about as you reflect on just where you happen to be in your walk with Christ.

"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated." —D.A. Carson

Thanks for stopping by . . .
 pj

So Does Pride Have a Grip on You?

Pride is, like many sins, very subtle. When it takes up residence in our hearts it is, therefore, often difficult to spot. Here is a set of questions designed by Nancy DeMoss of  Revive Our Hearts Ministry to help us identify pride in us. I encourage you to take some time to ask yourself these questions ... and if you are really brave, print them out and ask a trusted friend to answer these questions about you.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Together, let's pause and thank God our Father for the "indescribable" gift of His Son!  What a joy to know that God the Father SO LOVED the world that He gave the gift of His one and only Son! Enjoy the following monologue in which the Charlie Brown character, Linus nails the true meaning of Christmas!



MERRY CHRISTMAS! And thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

The Nativity!

Below is the trailer for the film, The Nativity Story. In a riveting way, this movie preview hits the major highlights of the birth of Christ. Take a few moments to watch it ... it will help you in the midst of your busyness today to prepare to worship the Reason for this Season: our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ!



Merry Christmas . . . and thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

The True Meaning of Christmas

Today, many people celebrate the Christmas holiday while either willfully or unwittingly ignoring what the holiday is truly all about. According to Ed Stetzer, LifeWay president and a Southern Baptist pastor,"A lot of Americans celebrate Christmas like they participate in yoga: unaware and unconcerned about its religious roots" (for more information on a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Resarch which looked at the how's and why's of people's Christmas observances, click here).

And just what is the true meaning of Christmas? ChristianAnswers.net has a great page detailing just about anything anyone would want to know in answer to this question. I encourage you to check it out.

My desire for you and yours is that you would be experience a more intimate relationship with Jesus as a result of your worship of Him this Christmas season.

A Merry and Blessed Christmas to you all .... and thanks for stopping by . . .

pj