Friday Coffee with PJ

Time to grab that favorite brew (for me that means COFFEE!!!) and take a few moments to reflect on some random thoughts I have for you!

1. Christians are upset about the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning gay marriage . . . and rightly so! Jesus makes it clear that from the beginning God's design for marriage involves a man and a woman (Matthew 19:3-6). But Jesus also makes it clear that marriage is to be a permanent and intimate relationship. SO ... before we run off to write a letter to the editor, let's be sure to be giving our marriage the priority in our lives that it deserves and requires.

2. School bells were ringing this week as most of the school students in Lancaster County returned for yet another year of school. Now ... where did the summer go? September arrives in just two days - yet it seems just like yesterday that we were celebrating Mother's Day! Time has a way of racing by. I am reminded of that every time I hear a clock tick. With each tick, a second of time slips into the abyss of the past, never to be experienced again! Reminds me of James 4:14 in which James refers to our lives as a mist that is here today and gone tomorrow. So . . . all this means we must make the most of our time and invest it in things that will outlast us! How about YOU? Are you making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15-16). Are you striving to live your life for God and His purposes?

3. Finally ... here's a quote from Tony Evans that you might want to chew on: "Your ability to perceive divine truth is related to how much you want to know. If you are satisfied with a story here and a story there, a good feeling here and a good feeling there, you won't fully understand all that God has for you in His Word." (from his book, Returning to Your First Love). Hmmm. When you interact with God's Word whether reading or listening, do you come with a prepared heart ... a heart that says ... "Here am I, God, teach me YOUR way that I may walk in it!"?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are this week's offerings. I hope you can find something that will "spur" you on in your journey of grace!

1. I am guessing you heard something about Miley Cyrus' performance earlier this week at the Video Music Awards. Here is one person's take. 

2. Are Joyce Myer and Joel Oesteen "rightly dividing the word of truth?" Hmm. You may just want to read this post! 

3. From Desiring God Ministries: Moving Beyond the Stalemate in Marriage. A solid read! 

4. Again .... some more challenging thoughts from Desiring God on why we should be praying for our president. 

5. Kevin DeYoung offers up some thoughts on what we should not be placing before our eyes. 

6. Finally ... on a lighter note . . . 

Thanks for stopping by .  . . 

pj

A Prayer for Your Midweek

I ran across the following prayer in a devotional book by John Piper. I encourage you to take a moment to read it .. and then pray it, making it your own.

Thank you Lord, for the lives of flawed and faith-filled saints! 

Thank you for grace, amazing grace, that saves and uses sinners!

Lord, don't let us limit your power by what we see in the mirror. 

Help us to trust you. Help us, as William Carey said, 

to expect great things from God  and attempt great things for God. 

We are not great. But you are great. 

Your power is made perfect in our weakness. 

We surrender all worldly claims on our lives. 

Come. Make us useful for the glory of Christ. 

In his great name we pray.

Amen. 

(John Piper, Life as a Vapor) 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Trusting God when Life Really Hurts!

All of us face tough times. Adversity comes calling all too often. If I had to choose between door #1 leading to comfort and door #2 leading to adversity, I would pick door #1 ten times out of ten (and I would guess you would be right there with me!). But that option is not something God puts before us. We must accept whatever hardships come our way. We are broken people living in a broken world. Therefore, we will go through tough times ... if not today, then tomorrow. Therefore, it is important we learn to respond in a God-honoring, kingdom-advancing way. I was reminded of this today in a visit I had with a dear saint who has just been through an extremely difficult week and a half. Through all the pain and suffering, she has trusted God. Wow! Her testimony was refreshing!

Below is a quote from a book about trusting God even when we are experiencing adversity. Take a moment and read ... then reflect. It will do your heart and soul well to do so!

"Yet it is just as important to trust God as it is to obey Him. When we disobey God we defy His authority and despise His holiness. But when we fail to trust God we doubt His sovereignty and question His goodness. In both cases we cast aspersions upon His majesty and His character. God views our distrust of Him as seriously as He views our disobedience. When the people of Israel were hungry, "they spoke against God, saying, `Can God spread a table in the desert? ... Can he supply meat for his people?"' The next two verses tell us, "When the LORD heard them, he was very angry ... for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance" (Psalm 78:19-22).  

Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts.

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

This week, just a short thought for you as you drink your morning coffee. If you are reading this on Friday, most likely at the time you are reading these words I will be on the return leg of a road trip to North Carolina. Wednesday morning, I drove over to York County to pick up my oldest sister. Then the two of us drove to NC to visit my other sister who is in poor health, a sister that we have not seen for quite some time. I must admit that given my workload right now, I was reluctant to go. Even with my wife encouraging me that I needed to do this (and she has been encouraging me for a while now!), and even though I knew deep down inside that I really needed to go, I kept putting it off.  But finally, when my oldest sister said she really wanted to see our North Carolina sister, I knew that I would have to make the time and go. And given our sister's poor health, it could very well be the last time we get to see her.

Now once I made this decision, I knew it was the right one. And I knew that all the "stuff" calling for my attention would be waiting for me when I got back. John Piper once said that when we do the "primary" things God calls us to do, that he will take care of all those "secondary" things. And really ... when it comes right down to it, family is one of these "primary" things in life.

So ... what about you? Giving enough time to your family (and the other important relationships that God has placed in your life)? Or are you using the excuse that you are just to busy?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

Thanks for stopping by today ... hope you can find something in today's post that will encourage, equip or
enable you in your journey of grace!

1. Ed Welch answers the question, Quick to Listen to Whom? 

2. Paul Tripp comments on anger in Good and Angry. 

3. One of my colleagues at Lancaster Bible College is launching a new podcast, Five Minutes in Church History. I listened to his first offering (concerning Augustine) and it was outstanding. I highly recommend this five minute investment of your time. Well worth it!

4. “What you believe about life affects everything about how you live your life.”  Really? Check out these excellent thoughts from the daughter of well known author and preacher, Chuck Swindoll. 

5. On a lighter note . . . 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

The Uncontrolled Self

I recently read a devotional on the topic of the uncontrolled self. The writer powerfully stated that "the uncontrolled self is a deadly force. It wills to defy or ignore God. Idolizing, exalting, celebrating, and indulging oneself as one's god is the root cause of all the shame, folly, decadence, and moral blindness that mark modern Western culture so ruinously." 

The writer here (in this case, J. I. Packer) get's it right. Every single one of us is born into this world with a orientation that is not centered on God or even others. Our bent from the get-go is SELF (and if you need evidence for this, just volunteer to serve in your church's nursery or preschool ministry and the self-centeredness of the human soul will most certainly raise its ugly head).

For those of us who have chosen to follow Christ . . . we have been given a new orientation by Jesus himself. He tells us that the two greatest commandments are first, to love God with all that we are and have, and the second, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:34-39). But to reorient ourselves requires a lot of hard effort on our part (2 Peter 1:5-11). Now I know from experience that it can get frustrating and downright discouraging as we strive to change ... but never lose site that God himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit is at work within you, cultivating HIS fruit in your heart (Galatians 5:22-23).

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj