Head-dibs

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."  (2 Corinthians 3:18) “He that is spiritually enlightened truly apprehends and sees it, or has a sense of it. He does not merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but he has a sense of the gloriousness of God in his heart. There is not only a rational belief that God is holy, and that holiness is a good thing, but there is a sense of the loveliness of God’s holiness. There is not only a speculatively judging that God is gracious, but a sense how amiable God is on account of the beauty of this divine attribute.” Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

Ready for Christmas? When we were school children, we looked forward to being out of school and getting presents. Now we are grown and we groan, looking forward to time off of work—not much, but any amount is deeply anticipated. But really, why are you looking forward to Christmas? Most of us readily vocalize the Christo-centricity of the holiday, but why long for this particular day? Is it because of a memory, a smell, feel, sound, or sight? Is it because we like to see Ralphie in that pink bunny suit all day long? Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra ra-ra ra-ra! Sure we love to hear Linus recite, but we are so familiar with the events in Bethlehem that unlike Mary, we do not ponder these things in our heart. When was the last time we stopped everything in order to truly understand? Instead of rockin’ around the Christmas tree, how about a quiet “sit and think” about Christmas for a while? Why did God step into time and space as a helpless infant in a village so obscure that even the gospel writers h...

This helps me better understand what is meant by, "the whole earth is full of His Glory " (Isaiah 6:3) and the rainbow imagery of Revelation ( 4:3 ; 10:1 ) (scroll down for photo gallery). "The nearer I approach the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible. The grandeur and sublimity of God's remedy for fallen man are more appreciated and the future is illuminated with hope and glory." (Samuel Morse, 1791 - 1872, inventor) Recommended Reading (click on image):

“I do not go to heaven to be advanced but to give honor to God. It is no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven, whether I have a high or low seat there, but to live and please and glorify God . . . My heaven is to please God and glorify Him, and give all to Him, and to be wholly devoted to His glory." (David Brainard, 1718 - 1747)

"Beneath this question is a fundamental failure to see what the universe is about. It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about Himself. And He says it for us to learn and enjoy--namely, that He is infinitely great and powerful and wise and beautiful. The more the Hubble Telescope sends back to us about the unfathomable depths of space, the more we should stand in awe of God. The disproportion between us and the universe is a parable about the disporportion between us and God. And it is an understatement. But the point is not to nullify us but to glorify Him." John Piper, " Don't Waste Your Life ."

I double-clicked on the word “power” and my dictionary automatically opened to the word “control.” Oh, the irony--who is in control? The first definition under “control” includes “check, test” while the second definition elaborates the concept, “to exercise restraining or directing influence over; rule.” “Power” describes “ability” and “possession of control.” The two definitions do not describe two different ideas. “Power” and “control” are both related when one considers “conduct.” We’ve all heard the saying, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Is the principle so absolute? If power is kept in check, under control, power actually contributes and builds up. Electricity, for example, in its unchecked state can be quite dangerous; on the other hand, under the control of wires, insulation, circuits, etc. electricity can be quite good and useful. The same is true of water. Unless it is channeled, water can bring us to ruin. The problem is that absolutes (like power, love...

“The reason people have trouble with defining our God is because they can’t see anything in us. Heine, the German philosopher said, ‘You show me your redeemed life, and I might believe in your redeemer.’ God is honored when we bear fruit. God is glorified when we bear fruit.” (John MacArthur, “How to Glorify God.”)

July 2004 I went to Kenya, Africa to speak in two Pastor’s Conferences on the subject of Man, Sin and Salvation. At the end of each day I left just over an hour for questions (half the time were questions touching the subject of my lectures, and the other half for “open questions”; that is, people could ask anything). For the next few weeks, I will be sharing the questions that were asked of me, and my answers—and believe me when I say these people really know how to think! Question from Kenya #1: “Men and women who saw God in the Bible: Why did they not all die?” [“ But He said, ‘You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live! ’” (Exodus 33:20) was the basis of the student’s question]. Answer: First, consider those who did see God—how did they respond when they saw Him? They were instantly aware of their sinfulness, and God’s holiness and righteousness (to name a few. And notice also that each responded in an attitude of worship, bowing down): Abraham built altars, wors...

“Lord, help me to glorify thee; I am poor, help me to glorify thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give thee honour by patience; I have talents, help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but thine, and glow with no flame but affection for thee; I have a head to think, Lord, help me to think of thee and for thee; Thou hast put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have.” (Spurgeon, Morning and Evening Feb. 15)