God is love. God is God.

"That God is love impels us to be sure that the truth gets to all people, and that God is God impels us to be sure that what gets to all people is truth."
................................... John Piper

We can complete the following sentence in many ways: "God is ______." If we at once consider that God is God and that God is love, we are faced with probably the most difficult to grasp juxtaposition of ideas about God. However since both are true, what does this truth mean for us in our everyday lives? It means exactly what Piper so eloquently states above. We must spread the truth of Jesus to everyone, and we must be sure that what we share IS the truth.


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Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

"Of what value is an idol since man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!' Or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver, there is no breath in it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him"

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Confidence

"If we believe in the God of Romans 8:28, we will always remember that by the time we know a problem exists, God has already been working on it and his solution is on the way"
........................................................ John Piper

Isaiah 64:4
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.



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Tough stuff

Often, before bed, I listen to a recorded sermon online. I have various sources that I use, and sometimes I listen to a message from Chuck Swindol. In a message I heard last week, Swindol noted that 2 Peter is a tough one to read-- difficult concepts, and packed with meaning. So tonight I decided to give 2 Peter a quick read since it's been a while since I read that particular book. Swindol was right... Three chapters of some of the toughest stuff you could chew on. So I will have to give it further study in the near future. This book in takes no more than 15 minutes to read, so read it and let Peter's words challenge you.

2 Peter 3:17-18
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.


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Taste and See

I have been really slack lately in reading for growth; sure I have read a novel here and there, magazines (actually more often than the novels), and the like, but other than reading through CS Lewis's Mere Christianity (with a friend), I have really not been reading as I should. When we joined Cedar Springs Presbyterian back in December we received a free copy of John Piper's Taste and See, 140 meditations; it sat upon a bookshelf until this morning when I grabbed it on my way out the door. Today the 10th graders are taking the PLAN test and I am proctoring since I teach 10th grade. I figured that today would be a good day to get back into some much- needed reading. As it so happens, the first meditation was chock- full of reminders as to exactly why I should be reading for growth... Perfect! so here is a brief reflection on what I read today:

I cannot ever read Zephaniah 3: 17-18 without thinking of my 9th grade science teacher and 10th grade Bible elective teacher, Mrs. Ferguson. She lived every day depending on the Lord for renewal and strength. It was evident from her daily life that she loved the Lord and desired to serve him with her whole life-- not with parts of it, but with all of it, just as we are called to do. I can look back on all of high school and recall a handful of teachers who showed me Christ in everything they did. I hope that when my students look back on high school, they will remember me, not for being a great science teacher, but for showing them the love of Christ.


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