Thoughts on Piper's article about People and Policies

 https://www.facebook.com/stevedeace

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/policies-persons-and-paths-to-ruin?utm_campaign=Daily&fbclid=IwAR1vvW4CNQwtlOx2-eXWPz5iIkbHciynE_KKOD29VXgv4_VVgxL0P1e9xJc

From Steve Deace FB page

Several of you have asked me to respond to this piece from John Piper, whose work has been a blessing to me in my own spiritual growth.

Four years ago, I would've shared this view pretty much syllable for syllable. So why don't I four years later?

Four years ago Trump wasn't president, and didn't have a political record whatsoever. John is writing an article like it's still 2016. It's not.

We've actually seen what Trump has done as president. He has accomplished things. Now, you may argue he hasn't accomplished enough to justify the obvious character concerns. And I won't begrudge you one bit if that is your view. I have friends that hold that position, and respect it and think it's worthy of consideration by serious people. I just don't share it. Similar to how I don't share some of your views on infant baptism, but having studied your view I understand why you do and where you're coming from. I respect that, I just don't agree.

But in this piece Piper never considers Trump's actual record, which would seem to be a key component in determining whether to retain someone for a job. Now that he's president the calculus changes -- is that record good enough to justify the character concerns?

Because we/they all have character concerns. McCain was an adulterer and a slanderer. Romney a serial liar and an adherent to a religious view I'm guessing Piper considers at least somewhat heterodoxic. Did John feel compelled to write such pieces then? And if not, why not? What is so unique about Trump's sins that he prompts this response when the sinfulness of the other guys didn't? And when should a politician's actual record in office become part of the process by which to assess them? John never addresses that, either.

Furthermore, has he written anything like this specifically about Democrat candidates for president in the past? For example, Joe Biden paints himself as a faithful Christian, so how come Piper doesn't take it upon himself to write a polemic about any perceived threat supporting Biden is specifically to the integrity of the faith?

Thus, at best Piper's piece here is insufficient. Like judging a mechanic without actually looking at his record of repair. At worst, it comes across as a preening attempting to excuse himself for not making a choice. To appear above it all, while the spiritual cretins sully their reputations like lemmings for Orange Man Bad.

We all have character flaws, that's why we need a savior. The issue isn't Trump's (or anyone else's) character as a stand alone. None of us is worthy of such power based on our character alone. It's whether those flaws prevent them from doing effectively the job of running the country. Without question we have seen Trump's character flaws cost him politically, but we've also seen him do things Christians are right to support.

That makes the answer more complicated than the simplistic approach of making boastfulness on par with state sanctioned murder, as Piper seems to imply here. Presidential boastfulness, while personally sinful, doesn't strike at the heart of a people collectively as state-sanctioned murder does. And frankly, I can't even believe Piper attempted to make that connection. After having listened to years worth of his podcasts, I know he's more thoughtful than that.

That is the end of Steve's comments on Piper. This youtube link is worth a visit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St38G8oJk3k&t=3392s

Go to the 53:08 mark to hear an email from Nadine about the "suburban housewife vote". Very interesting

My thoughts...

Those who know me are aware of the appreciation I have for Dr. Piper over the years, but here I think he is muddled. First I will say that I agree with the ending of Piper's article as he points us to the eternal kingdom. Folks on the left and right can turn politics into a form of religion. Been there done that on both sides.

I agree with Deace's point about not conflating personal character sins with public policy sin. By Piper's logic, what politician is worthy of our vote? They all have character flaws and egos.

As voters, we are electing someone to enact policies on a national basis. Yes, character does matter, but as Deace points out, Piper seems to be rather selective in his comments. He's been silent on this for years. No candidate in my lifetime has been above reproach. In Biblical history we see over and over how God used flawed leaders, even pagans, to accomplish His purpose. Flawed men and women are all God has to work with.

Drawing a moral equivalence between personal character flaws and the murder of the unborn via national abortion policies is so off base. Without being specific Piper seems to be aiming his words at Trump, as if Joe Biden were free from boasting, pride, lying, and immorality, etc. The man has been in politics for 40+ years. I dare say he's got some skeletons in the closet. Some are coming out now. Once Piper goes down that road of critique, then he needs to be consistent.

If we are playing a friendly backyard game we might have the luxury of being picky about the character of our team members, but if we're in a fox hole fighting those who want to get rid of us do we have the luxury of worrying about the moral values of the person next to you?

We make a mistake if we assume that the left just wants things to go back to normal where both sides are willing to accept each other and the election results. They've shown they won't do that since 2000. They don't want to share the country with any opposing viewpoints. Collectivist, socialists, and statists require control to enforce their vision of "equity and fairness."

Piper is right that God is in control in the affairs of men and nations.

A Colloquy on Rejoicing

 In this VoV prayer we read...

"Thou hast nothing of thine own but sin, 

nothing to move God to be gracious

or to continue His grace toward thee.

If thou forget this thou wilt lose thy joy."

This raises the question, "Why will we lose our joy if we forget this?"

Answer: If we think that we bring something to the table to move God to be gracious to us, then we put ourselves on a treadmill of performance. We must continually be doing what is required to move God to be gracious. 

The treadmill of performance is deadly to joy. If we think we are performing well, then it leads to pride. If we think we are failing, then it leads to despair. Performance doesn't lead to joy.

The only sure ground of joy is the free grace of God. 

Prayer and Providence

 Valley of Vision - Living By Prayer

"Teach me to live by prayer

as well as by providence."

That is a good way to live - prayer and providence. It's not either/or, but both/and. 

The two go together in the Christian life. We pray as we trust the providence of God. 

Leftists, Jihadists, and herd immunity

 

Some short thoughts on our cultural moment: 9/24/20

The Jihadists have succeeded in one unexpected area - they taught the leftist BLM, Antifa crowd how to get their way by using violence as a form of extortion. 

The leftists policy now is that of the jihad - "Support, do what we say, and say what we tell you, or we'll use violence."

 It is the rioters veto approach. Shut down, tear down or cancel what we tell you or we'll riot

Just like the media can't mention Mohammed, the name George Soros, who funds leftists causes, is also taboo.  

The left which poo-poos herd immunity is actually showing how it works with their constant scandal stories on Trump. I think the American people are getting "scandal herd immunity."

Folks are just tired of it and are tuning it out now. So herd immunity does work. 

Thanks Dems, Media, BLM etc. 

Response to FB post from MLK, Jr daughter

I no longer have the post and only read it once, but here are my thoughts:

I did only read it once, so I may have not fully understood all that was written.  What struck me was how the post was devoid of any biblical perspective, even though the author seemed to be leaning on the name of her father, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was expecting something with a bit of gospel flavor.

I saw nothing of a redeeming gospel nature in the post. It was, in the true sense of the word, ‘God-less’.

The authors of the PCA paper on racial reconciliation were very strong on the need for a biblically grounded perspective. I recently read over that paper and found that it offered some very helpful insights and Biblical guidance that are needed in the current conversations. The authors offer the following Affirmations and Denials:

-We affirm the image of God reflected in all people –

(Would that also apply to President Trump or any president, or politician, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, etc? That post did not give me that impression. To ‘”refuse to speak his name” is a way of dehumanizing someone. It is a way of denying the image of God in someone. Seeking to “not speak his name, but associate all Republicans with him” is a way of dehumanizing –denying the Imago Dei – of a sizeable percentage of our population. Slavery, the Nazis and abortion have shown us what happens when we dehumanize a person or a group of people. As believers, we don’t have that option, even of those with whom we disagree.)

-We affirm that for the Christian, all human identities must be subordinate to identity in Christ.

(The current spirit of the age is all about identity politics that puts us at the center rather than God. It encourages an autonomy of self where we define who we are based on our likes, dislikes, desires, or inclinations. That violates the Creator/Creature distinction discussed early on in the Position Paper.)

-We affirm that biblical righteousness has dimensions of both piety and justice.

(A pursuit of ‘justice’ is not an excuse for ignoring basic biblical piety of love for God and our neighbor, even a Samaritan i.e. Republicans in today’s culture.)

-We reject Marxism and Socialism, and all ideologies based on either one or both.

(I don’t know what the author of the post has in mind for the future, but if it is BLM related then it has Marxism at its core. Their website is clear).

-We reject as inadequate any analysis of racism that does not recognize sin and the fall of mankind as its root.

          (If there’s no biblical diagnosis of the problem – “all have sinned…”, then there won’t be a biblically redemptive reconciliation. The church and the world need biblical voices that understand the root of the problem and the spiritual solution that is needed. That is one of the strongest elements of the Position Paper. 

from podcast on Jim Jones

From Martry Made podcast God’s Socialist pt 5   1:30:01

Totalitarian systems work to break up any relationship not mediated by the system, so they undermine connections outside and independent from the system. The goal is to get their subjects to say and do things to compromise themselves and create a system that Marshal Mcluhan described as a whispering gallery. Everyone is engaged in keeping everyone else under surveillance. We’re compromised everytime we nod our heads to something we don’t believe to be true. Every time it happens we lose the strength to refuse the next time.

Theodore Dalrymple -

“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity (having strong moral principles). To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One's standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”

https://www.nationalreview.com/postmodern-conservative/whats-new-new-political-correctness-flagg-taylor/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/124952-political-correctness-is-communist-propaganda-writ-small-in-my-study

https://mcluhangalaxy.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/marshall-mcluhan-re-wikileaks/

A totalitarian system builds up a weak social imaginary that can’t survive contact with the outside world.

Hold them accountable

Steve Deace lays out the case for holding these elected and appointed officials accountable for a majority of Covid 19 deaths.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gzcak5SbSg

Comey "By the book"

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/19/michael-flynn-full-susan-rice-email-sent-on-trumps-inauguration-day-267998

https://nypost.com/2020/05/20/susan-rices-e-mail-exposes-team-obamas-treachery-goodwin/

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/04/30/comey_i_sent_fbi_agents_into_the_white_house.html

The links above show the dishonesty of Jim Comey, Mr. Higher Loyalty (the name of his book). One wonders what loyalty he was referring to.
He was in the Jan 5th meeting with POTUS, Biden, Yates, Rice, etc when President Obama told them to do everything "by the book."

By his own admission to Nicole Wallace Mr. Comey knew what the proper protocols were for speaking with or interviewing a White House official, yet he "sent them in" to talk with Flynn to take advantage of the new White House.
Comey made judgments about the "unusual' number of calls between Flynn and the Russian Ambassador. Had he compared that number with previous incoming officials in the past?

Comey disregarded "the book" and proper protocols to try to catch Flynn in some way. If he were truly concerned about Flynn then why no to to Trump and tell him?
If he were truly loyal to the country then why not go an offer help to the new administration regarding proper protocols?

Jim Comey knew the protocols yet he disregarded them. In doing so he violated the demand of Pres. Obama, thus putting him at risk of suspicion. He set an example within the FBI of violating protocols. He had a chance to do the honorable thing, but he didn't, and he's bragging about it with Nicole Wallace.
The man should have been fired after the July 5, 2016 press conference regarding the Hilary email scandal.

Covid-19 insanity

For years we've heard some say quite loudly that, "If you're not a woman, then you can't talk about abortion or sexual harassment."

So in line with that how about, "If you still have a job that is deemed essential and not shut down or can work from home, then you can't talk about when others can go back to work."

Or this, "If you are pro-abortion then you can't talk about how the lock-down is worth it if it saves just one life." Would you agree to shut down abortion clinics to save one life?

When your pro-lock down argument is "You just want people to die", then we know that you really don't have much of an argument. That's not an argument; that's just Covid-19 insanity. It is a virus that is worse than Covid-19.

Gary Yagel has written a booklet "Forging Bonds of Brotherhood" which offers some very good insights into men's ministry. He also offers some practical formats for small groups for men.

Here is an adapted version of his Forging the Foundation format:

Questions for Brothers in the Battle

1. Encouragement for the battle
How has your week gone?
What has been encouraging?
What has been frustrating?

2. Staying Sharp
Have you arranged to have some quality time with God this week?
If so, share something you learned from scripture.
If not, what got in the way?

(Optional question)
What do you need to do to make time with God a priority?

3. Fighting for our Families
What has been the most difficult part of being the spiritual leader lately?
What do you think you need to focus on most at home right now?

(Optional question)
Are there any unresolved conflicts in your family that you need to address by leading with repentance?

4. Fight spiritual battles
What spiritual battles can I help you fight by praying for you?

(Optional questions)
Which fruit of the Spirit have you been needing the most lately?
What is it that you don’t want to tell anyone? Find a safe friend that you can talk to about it.

CJ response after a quarrel

I recently hear this in a sermon by CJ Mahaney (Cravings and Conflicts)

The text is James 4:1-2. in the sermon CJ says…– I had a quarrel with my wife and became generally aware of my sin- pride, anger, bitterness…so I said to her…

“Carolyn, I am aware in general that in attitude and speech I have sinned against you, but I am not sufficiently convicted. I could as a matter of procedure ask you to forgive me right now, but to my shame what I’m sure is obvious to you is not obvious to me. According to James 2:1-2 this is worse than I think so to ask for forgiveness right now would be premature. I need time to examine my heart and to seek God’s evaluation of my sin and of what just took place. As I prayed I saw it was worse than I thought.”


I don’t know about you but I think that is very powerful – powerfully frightening because I hear that and know that I should be so open, vunlerable and honest, but it is scary. Once we read this we can never again tell ourselves, “I just don’t know the right words to use to go to my wife, co-worker, child, parent, fellow church member, etc.”
CJ Mahaney has given us a great approach What it requires is faith in Christ and the power of the gospel so that we’re willing to honestly face our own sin.

Valley of Vision - Prayer of Love

In VoV prayer "The Prayer of Love" the one praying seeks the Father to look to the cross of His beloved Son and view the preciousness of his atoning blood; he asks the Father to hear the intercession of the Son and then to whisper to our hearts, "Thy sins are forgiven, be of good cheer, lie down in peace."

Those words will move us when we have an awareness of our own sin and the need for the Father to whisper forgiveness to our hearts.

The prayer continues with this great statement, "mercy never wearies in bestowing benefits." WOW, what a great but easily forgotten truth - MERCY NEVER WEARIES IN BESTOWING BENEFITS.

How unlike me. How unlike us in the church. I/we quickly tire of bestowing benefits. I too easily act as if mercy's benefits must be hoarded or else they will run out. THEY WON'T.

God's mercies know no end.

That is good news for all of us redeemed sinners.

4/15/20 Men's group - What Radical Husbands Do - Intro & Step One

“What I have to say starts with a premise. Not everyone will buy into my premise but I’m okay with that. Here it is . . .   The man determines the quality of his marriage.”

It’s up to you to win and keep your wife’s heart. You can’t trade for it. There’s not a fixed amount of effort required. There’s no way to “get there” and then quit.
Secondly, know there are no such things as “marriage problems.” We have personal problems, revealed in the white-hot heat of marriage.
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” – Nido Qubein

Tom

What Radical Husbands Do: 12 steps to win and keep your wife's heart - Regi Campbell

 excerpts...

INTRODUCTION

WHEN IT COMES TO MARRIAGE, our mindset should be…

I am responsible. I am the leader. Love isn’t a hole I fall into; it’s a choice I make.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF MARRIAGES

1. You wake up feeling lucky (or blessed, depending on your point of view) because your marriage is so good. You get along great. You talk things out. You believe the best about each other.

Here’s what’s going on when you’re in that “good place”:   There’s open communication, even about tough stuff like sex.   Conflicts are resolved without a lot of emotion.   You work together smoothly making plans, solving problems and making decisions.

You have a shared vision for your marriage and family. You both know what you want it to look like, and you’re willing to make individual sacrifices to make it happen.   You’ve figured out your roles, with the “blessing” of the other. There’s little conflict about who (normally) does what and a clear willingness to have each other’s backs in emergencies.

There’s a healthy level of respect, never threatened by disagreements on small stuff. No one yells. No one pouts. You work stuff out.   Each accepts the other as he or she is. No one’s trying to change anyone. And each spouse tries to not take “personal” things innocently said. When feelings get hurt, you talk it through quickly, repair the relationship and move on. You don’t hold grudges.

2. Your marriage is “okay.” Things are stable. Consistent. There’s general harmony, peace, cooperation and collaboration. There’s a routine to life together. Could be you’re both so busy, you don’t have time to think about your marriage as a “thing.”

Be grateful you’re not at war.   But peace is not defined by the absence of war. Nor is a great marriage defined by the absence of conflict. It’s easy to take things and people for granted. Sometimes what feels like peace to you may feel like boredom to her.

Your wife might say your marriage isn’t anywhere close to where you think it is. In fact, surveys show   Women are less happy in their marriages than men   Women are more likely than men to see problems in their marriages Women are more likely to initiate divorce (women ask for divorce two- thirds of the time), and are more than three times

Here are a few more things that might happen in an “okay” marriage:   You were invited on a marriage retreat, but you blew it off because you knew it would cost money and take time away from work. Your thought was, Nah . . . we don’t need that stuff. We’re doing just fine. You knew your wife wanted to go, but you passed. Refused to seriously consider it.

For Christmas, your dad gave you a book about how to love your wife. You thanked him politely and then put it on the shelf beside the family Bible and the Encyclopedia Britannica. Other guys have suggested books to you. You don’t even write down the titles. You don’t need that crap; you’re doing fine.

You’re so confident in your wife’s love that you’re ignoring her, putting everything into your work. For a little while, that was fine. But it’s become standard. And you’re into your work because you’re getting strokes, bonuses and promotions. She likes the money part for sure, but if you asked, she’d rather have more of you. Because you’re so confident in how great things are and you’re afraid you’ll have to do something different, you’re not going to ask.

3. Your marriage is a struggle . . . or worse. There’s friction and frustration almost daily. You argue over big things and little things.

More big clues: You and your wife keep clashing over the same things . . .  

Money. Why can’t she see what she’s doing to you? To the two of you. So much debt you can’t breathe. No appreciation for how hard you’re working. Never satisfied. Never grateful. No encouragement. Never enough.  

Sex. Well, that’s a sore subject. It’s gotten less and less frequent. And more and more routine.  

Friends. Yours are yours. Hers are hers. You don’t trust hers.

The past. Your ex-wife. Her ex-husband. Something from the past “owns” you. She won’t forgive you. You can’t forgive her . . . or yourself. Either way, the past keeps coming back to steal the present. And paint a hopeless future

Other people. There are some you don’t want to disappoint — your parents, mentors and a few church friends. But most of your married friends will understand if you break up.

Other women. Maybe that’s where things have really fallen apart. You’ve met somebody who’s everything your wife isn’t. You may not have moved on it yet, but you’ve had enough conversations to be emotionally connected to her. You can’t wait to get free so you can really hang out with her. It’s going to be complicated, no doubt. But it’s going to be worth it to finally be happy again.

Other men. You may be suspicious she’s talking to someone else — or more than talking. She sure isn’t talking to you. Nor is she the least bit interested in “physical” activities. She’s cold as ice, but you know she’s not a cold-as-ice woman. You just know there’s no heat coming in your direction.

Boredom. You love her (yes, you do), but it’s the same old, same old. You’re getting older. She’s getting older. You look around and see no heroes in your world, nobody whose marriage you envy.

Ready to take responsibility and step up to win . . . and keep . . . your wife’s heart.   It starts by going “on record” and letting her know that you’re totally and irreversibly committed to her.   You may think it’s silly.   But I’ll bet she won’t.

STEP ONE DECIDE AND TELL HER   Decide you love your wife, that you want to spend the rest of your life married to her, and then tell her — with downward voice inflection — say it and mean it.

But whether you feel it or not, you’ve got to choose to love your wife. And I’m not just talking about a day, a week or a month. I’m talking about choosing to love her until you die. You have to choose to be kind to her, no matter what she says or how she treats you. You have to choose to serve her, no matter how little she serves you. You have to choose to get into her frame of reference, regardless of the fact she never gets into yours. It’s a one-way street with all the traffic headed in her direction and none headed back your way.

But if you’re not willing to sign up for this kind of one-way commitment, your marriage won’t ever be great. If you’re already in trouble, your marriage won’t make it.

LOVE VERSUS MARRIAGE

 Marriage is easy when you’re feeling the love. But when you aren’t, marriage feels like a cage: I’m trapped in here with this woman I don’t love. And she doesn’t love me. I can’t get out and neither can she. This marriage is holding both of us back from being happy!

We think marriage is the problem, that it’s holding us back from someone or something better.   But think about this: What if the cage is there to protect us?

Love initiates marriage. But marriage sustains love.

Most importantly, you must tell her you’re making this commitment for yourself — for your benefit — not to win her heart. That will blow her mind. But it has to be the truth.

WHY IT’S THE BEST DECISION George Washington Carver once said, “Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough.”4 Before he died, he patented 268 different uses for the peanut.

If you think you’re going to find someone who’s better, who’ll love you more, who’ll be more like what you want, remember your next girl still has to fall in love and stay in love with you. If you’re like me and most men I know, that ain’t no picnic. Most people who divorce once are likely to divorce again — sometimes twice more. What’s the common denominator? They are.

If you’ll commit to her forever, stop thinking about the woman you don’t have, and give the one you have the time, warmth and love she needs, you might have a chance of pulling this thing out of the fire.    Radical husbands commit and stay committed.

Reflections from Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Chapter 12 is "The Love of God"

 "To know God's love is indeed heaven on earth." 

I think that is why Paul prays in Ephesians 3 that we will know the lenght, height, breadth, and width of the love of God. 

Packer notes that "the regular ministry of the Spirit is to instill the knowledge of the love of God on our hearts."

The love of God is one of the most often talked about, yet least understood, topics of scripture. "God is love" is not the complete truth about God so far as the Bible is concerned, but it is the complete truth about God so far as the Christian is concerned.

Packer's definition of God's love does not read like a Hallmark card, but it is spot on theologically:

"God's love is an exercise of his goodness toward individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation."

I encourage you to break down the various parts of that definition and meditate on them. I'll note three things about the God who loves us: He is personal, He is empathetic, and He wants to be known and enjoyed.

The key point of the chapter is found in the reminder that when we want to know and consider the love of God, then we are not to look at our external circumstances, but rather we are to look at the Cross of Christ. "The cross is the crowning proof of the reality of God's love."

Packer closes the chapter with some probing questions. If these things are true then...

Why do i ever grumble and show discontent and resentment at the circumstances in which God has placed me? 

Why am I ever distrustful, fearful or depressed?

Why do I ever allow myself to grow cool, formal and halfhearted in the service of the God who loves me so?

Why do I ever allow my loyalties to be divided, so that God has not all my heart?

The God of scripture speaks to us of the love of God. We are not alone. Through Christ God's wisdom confounds the wise of this world. Jesus is the Word made flesh and the Word of God written is how we know who Jesus is. He is with us. 

Pastor Bob and I are also available meet and pray with you on the phone, if not in person. Please feel free to contact us at any time with prayer requests or if you want to simply talk.

Tom May 770 503-6995

Bob Borger 706 671-5564

Reflections from Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Chapter 11 is "Thy Word is Truth".

While reading this chapter I found that Packer gives a good paradigm that is helpful for understanding all of scripture. He sees this paradigm in Genesis 1-3 with these basic categories of how God speaks to us.

"Within the compass of these three short chapters, we see the word of God in all the relations in which it stands to the world, and to man within it."

Genesis 1-3 gives these categories: 

1) a word of command

2) a word of testimony in which God explains Himself or what He has established

3) a word of prohibition to protect us 

4) a word of promise, both favorable and unfavorable

Packer makes the point that our souls were made to run on the Word and the practices that connect us with God through His Word. "If we abandon those practices, we progressively destroy our own souls." 

If you've ever let the engine of your car or lawn mower run out of oil, you know the damage it will do. The Holy Spirit speaking through His Word is the "oil" for our spiritual lives. 

Because God is our Creator, His Word instructs us in how we are to live as those made in His image. 

Because God is our King, His Word is to be given THE place of authority in our lives. 

The God of scripture speaks to us. We are not alone. Through Christ God's wisdom confounds the wise of this world. Jesus is the Word made flesh and the Word of God written is how we know who Jesus is. He is with us. 

Pastor Bob and I are also available meet and pray with you on the phone, if not in person. Please feel free to contact us at any time with prayer requests or if you want to simply talk.

Tom May 770 503-6995

Bob Borger 706 671-5564

Reflections from Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Chapter 10 is "God's Wisdom and Ours".

While reading this chapter I found it to be so relevant for us today, even more so than if I'd read it just three weeks ago. 

What struck me was the reality that it is the movement of faith to trust God in the times we don't know what He is doing. 

This chapter was useful for me back when I did the Ecclesiastes series (check out our webpage for those). 

Packer points out that God's wisdom is perfect but because of the Fall we are distorted in our perceptions. To live in wisdom, as we are called to do, there are two prerequisites:

1.) We must learn to reverence (fear) God- Ps 110:10; Prov 9:10. "We don't learn wisdom until we are humble and teachable..acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thought and are willing to have our minds turned upside down."

2.) We must learn to recieve God's Word - Ps 119:98-99

We need to marinate our hearts in the Word of God. 

"Many today who profess Christ never learn wisdom through failure to attend sufficiently to God's written word."

Friends, there are no shortcuts or substitutes to growing in wisdom. 

Packer makes much of the reality that wisdom is not what we might imagine. The widsom we get from God is not a big overview and understanding of what God is doing in the world as if we gained access behind the curtain. "The gift of wisdom presupposes our conscious inability to see or know what's behind the curtain" (paraphrase).

"Wisdom is not seeing the whole picture, but it is knowing how to do what is 'wise' in the actual situations of everyday life."

This resonates with Ecclesiastes in that we must recognize that life is 'hevel' / vanity of vanities/ temporal. That is essential for us to be wise. It is wise for us to recognize that the God we worship may hide Himself and His purposes. "God in His wisdom, to make and keep us humble and to teach us to walk by faith, has hidden from us almost everything we should like to know about the providential purposes which He is working out in our churches and in our lives." I would add 'in our nation and the world'. 

If you are like me, you long to know what God is up to in the days of COVID 19, and you want to tell Him how to fix it. That is not the way of wisdom; it is the way of presumption.

So, what is wisdom? 

"Fear God and keep his commandments" - Eccles 12:13.

"Trust and obey Him, reverence Him in worship, be humble before Him and do good (Eccles5:1-7; 3:12); remember that God will some day take account of you, so eschew, even in secret, things of which you will be ashamed when they come to light as God's assizes (Ecc 11:9, 12:14). Live in the present and enjoy it; present pleasures are God's good gifts (Ecc 7:17, 9:7-10)."Use all the good sense and enterprise at your command in exploiting the opportunities that lie before you (Ecc 11:1-6).

THE FRUIT OF WISDOM

"The disposition to confess that God is wise and to cleave to Him and live for Him in the light of His Word through thick and thin."

The fruit of this wisdom is to make us more Christlike with the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. The root of this fruit is faith in Christ, who is the Widsom of God. 

We are not alone. Through Christ God's wisdom confounds the wise of this world. Even Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered, and He is with us in our times of distress as well. 

Pastor Bob and I are available meet and pray with you on the phone, if not in person. Please feel free to contact us at any time with prayer requests or if you want to simply talk.

Tom May 770 503-6995

Bob Borger 706 671-5564

Here are some devotional thoughts on Hebrews 12 that you might consider in your family if you worship at home March 15^th.

HEBREWS -12: 18-29

Shaken

18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.”

 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear (deut 9:19)  and trembling.” 

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the festive assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel

25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 

27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 

28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

What got my attention in v. 25-29 is this idea of the shaking of the earth and also the heaven.

I think it is fair to say that in the past week our “world” has been shaken. It’s been going on for a couple of weeks, but this past week was so huge. When something happens that suspends the NBA season, shuts down Broadway, Back Alley Theatre, airlines, cruise lines, conference basketball tournaments, and even March Madness, then things are being shaken.

How do we as believers respond individually and corporately? V. 28-29

HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?? V. 28

28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

We should live with the recognition that God’s people have always had:

      We are to express gratitude

      We are finite creatures; we are a vapor; our days are numbered. Despite what we like to think, we are not in control.

      God is Infinite, He does not change, He is our Creator and King. Despite what we like to think, HE IS IN CONTROL.

We are to live as God’s people have always been called to live- with gratitude, serving Him with reverence and awe of God, not in awe of a virus.

The more I pondered this passage in light of the past couple of weeks, the more it seems as if it were written for us, to us, for this moment in time.

One set of insights comes from C.S. Lewis, who faced different forms of being shaken during his life – WWI, death of a spouse, WWII; he died on Nov 22, 1963, the day the world was shaken by the assassination of JFK.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/cs-lewis-coronavirus/

C. S. Lewis’s words—written 72 years ago—ring with some relevance for us. Just replace “atomic bomb” with “coronavirus.”  Present Concerns: On Living in an Atomic Age

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb.

“How are we to live in an atomic age?”

 I am tempted to reply:

“Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

He is telling us that we should not begin by focusing on our situation as if it were unique. There is always uncertainty for us in this world. The Fall is real and its impact was on us, as those made in the image of God, and on creation itself.

Rom 8

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 

Since, and because of, the Fall in Genesis 3 we have all been living under a death sentence. We’re not doomed because of Coronavirus, but because of sin and our willing participation in it.

There is GOOD NEWS in the midst of the sad headlines. THANKS BE TO God who has given us a mediator.

The Gospel is the incredible news that even though we were enemies of God, alienated by our sin and deserving eternal punishment, He reached out to us by sending His Son to take our punishment by dying in our place on the cross. Now through faith in Jesus we’ve been reconciled to God, adopted into His family, and given a fresh start and the gift of enjoying Him forever.

In his own way, that is what the Author Of Hebrews has been telling us for 12 chapters.

Lewis goes on to say this, (think Coronavirus or other threat instead of ‘bomb’…)

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

In Christ we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Rejoice in it and show gratitude.

We have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the festive assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,

Don’t let an abundance of fear cause us to forget that we have been redeemed by Christ. Our salvation doesn’t mean that we won’t be shaken in some way,  but it does mean that  it won’t change a single eternal reality or spiritual blessing that is ours in Christ.

Amen

You might close with some time of prayer as a family for our church family and for those directly impacted by the Coronavirus, here and around the world.

Pray for God's mercy in the lives of those who are in fear, and pray that hearts would be turned to Him.

Pray for the frontline healthcare workers as they run risks each day.

Pray that we would all see the bigger picture of life and seek first the Kingdom of God.

Hand-washing and Attributes of God

If you heard the sermon on March 29th, then you know about the AoGHWE. If you haven't heard it then go to...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZjlFfUGSCI

After several hand-washing episodes, I finished the alphabetical run through of the attributes of God.

I got stumped on some of the letters.

A-almighty

B-beautiful

C-compassionate

D-dignified

E-eternal

F-faithful

G-great

H-holy

I- immutable

J-just

K-kingly

L-loving

M-majestic

N-never changing

O-omnipotent

P-powerful

Q -??

S- steadfast

T-truthful

V-victorious

W-watchful

X- xenophile (lover of strangers)

Y-??

Z-zealous

On the same theme,  I have attached the PCA prayer guide for the month of April. Each day focuses on a different attribute of God. This would be great to use for private prayer or with your family.

"What we think of when we think about God is the most important thing about us." I forget who said it, Tozer or Pink, but it really is true.

Open the attached file and enrich your prayer life and your knowledge of God.

Pastor Tom

Ps some friends posted some Q and Y words - quintessential and Yahweh

Insights from the Valley vlog posts on youtube

Check out these video insights

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMNphiQanai3vMLbzPtFfjBeXYEVwKmzr