“Heart-work is hard work indeed. To shuffle over religious duties with a loose and careless spirit, will cost no great difficulties; but to set yourself before the Lord, and to tie up your loose and vain thoughts to a constant and serious attendance upon him: this will cost you something. To attain ease and dexterity of language in prayer and to be able to put your meaning into appropriate and fitting expressions is easy; but to get your heart broken for sin while you are actually confessing it; melted with free grace even while you are blessing God for it; to be really ashamed and humbled through the awareness of God’s infinite holiness, and to keep your heart in this state not only in, but after these duties, will surely cost you some groans and travailing pain of soul.”

JOHN FLAVEL

Richard Baxter

“Make careful choice of the books which you read: let the holy scriptures ever have the pre-eminence, and, next to them, those solid, lively, heavenly treatises which best expound and apply the scriptures, and next, credible histories, especially of the Church . . . but take heed of false teachers who would corrupt your understandings.”

1. As there is a more excellent appearance of the Spirit of God in the holy scripture, than in any other book whatever, so it has more power and fitness to convey the Spirit, and make us spiritual, by imprinting itself upon our hearts. As there is more of God in it, so it will acquaint us more with God, and bring us nearer Him, and make the reader more reverent, serious and divine. Let scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands and other books be used as subservient to it. The endeavours of the devil and papists to keep it from you, doth shew that it is most necessary and desirable to you.

2. The writings of divines are nothing else but a preaching of the gospel to the eye, as the voice preaches it to the ear. Vocal preaching has the pre-eminence in moving the affections, and being diversified according to the state of the congregation which attend it: this way the milk comes warmest from the breast. But books have the advantage in many other respects: you may read an able preacher when you have but a average one to hear. Every congregation cannot hear the most judicious or powerful preachers: but every single person may read the books of the most powerful and judicious; preachers may be silenced or banished, when books may be at hand: books may be kept at a smaller charge than preachers: we may choose books which treat of that, very subject which we desire to hear of; but we cannot choose what subject the preacher shall treat of. Books we may have at hand every day. and hour; when we can have sermons but seldom, and at set times. If sermons be forgotten, they are gone; but a book we may read over and over, till we remember it: and if we forget it, may again peruse it at our pleasure, or at our leisure. So that good books are a very great mercy to the world: the Holy Ghost chose the way of writing, to preserve His doctrine and laws to the ‘Church, as knowing how easy and sure a way it is of keeping it safe to all generations, in comparison of mere verbal traditions.

3. You have need of a judicious teacher at hand, to direct you what books to use or to refuse: for among good books there are some very good that are sound and lively; and some good, but mediocre, and weak and somewhat dull; and some are very good in part, but have mixtures of error, or else of incautious, injudicious expressions, fitter to puzzle than edify the weak.

Baxter’s Guide To The Value Of A Book

While reading ask oneself:

1. Could I spend this time no better?

2. Are there better books that would edify me more?

3. Are the lovers of such a book as this the greatest lovers of the Book of God and of a holy life?

4. Does this book increase my love to the Word of God, kill my sin, and prepare me for the life to come?

Thomas Boston

1. Follow a regular plan in reading of them, that you may be acquainted with the whole; and make this reading a part of your private devotions. Not that you should confine yourselves only to a set plan, so as never to read by choice, but ordinarily this tends most to edification. Some parts of the Bible are more difficult, some may seem very barren for an ordinary reader; but if you would look on it all as God’s word, not to be scorned, and read it with faith and reverence, no doubt you would find advantage.

2. Set a special mark, however you find convenient, on those passages you read, which you find most suitable to your case, condition, or temptations; or such as you have found to move your hearts more than other passages. And it will be profitable often to review these.

3. Compare one Scripture with another, the more obscure with that which is more plain, 2 Pet. 1:20. This is an excellent means to find out the sense of the Scriptures; and to this good use serve the marginal notes on Bibles. And keep Christ in your eye, for to him the scriptures of the Old Testament look (in its genealogies, types, and sacrifices), as well as those of the New.

4. Read with a holy attention, arising from the consideration of the majesty of God, and the reverence due to him. This must be done with attention, first, to the words; second, to the sense; and, third, to the divine authority of the Scripture, and the obligation it lays on the conscience for obedience, 1 Thess. 2:13, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”

5. Let your main purpose in reading the Scriptures be practice, and not bare knowledge, James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Read that you may learn and do, and that without any limitation or distinction, but that whatever you see God requires, you may study to practice.

6. Beg of God and look to him for his Spirit. For it is the Spirit that inspired it, that it must be savingly understood by, 1 Cor 2:11, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” And therefore before you read, it is highly reasonable you beg a blessing on what you are to read.

7. Beware of a worldly, fleshly mind: for fleshly sins blind the mind from the things of God; and the worldly heart cannot favour them. In an eclipse of the moon, the earth comes between the sun and the moon, and so keeps the light of the sun from it. So the world, in the heart, coming between you and the light of the word, keeps its divine light from you.

8. Labour to be disciplined toward godliness, and to observe your spiritual circumstances. For a disciplined attitude helps mightily to understand the scriptures. Such a Christian will find his circumstances in the word, and the word will give light to his circumstances, and his circumstances light into the word.

9. Whatever you learn from the word, labour to put it into practice. For to him that has, shall be given. No wonder those people get little insight into the Bible, who make no effort to practice what they know. But while the stream runs into a holy life, the fountain will be the freer.

Great post from David Mathis at the Desiring God blog. When questioned about how to be productive, he responds:

I would actually say: realize that you don’t have to be productive. By this I mean: your significance does not come from your productivity. It comes from Christ, who obeyed God perfectly on our behalf such that our significance and standing before God comes from him, not anything we do. Then, on that basis, we pursue good works (which is what productivity is) and do so eagerly, as it says in Titus 2:14.

Can I get an “Amen”?

Sin makes you do stupid stuff.

When Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, the first course of action they took was to cover themselves with the work of their own hands. Their eyes were opened…they could see their sin and they tried to hide it.

I think about them a lot. I try to place myself there in the garden after the fall to try and get a sense on what it was like to suddenly be thrown from perfect communion with God. It must have been painful…and pain for them was a new sensation.

I think about them in relation to my own communion with my God. I think I’ve learned something along the way.

Just as my fore parents took it upon themselves to attempt to cover their sin, I think my own legalism is the exact same situation.

When He opened my eyes to my sin for the very first time, it was very painful. It’s hard to accept that all the things the world has taught you about self esteem and self worth is essentialy wrong. The knee jerk reaction is to cover yourself.

For me, I covered myself with my own self righteousness instead of the righteousness of the Lamb.

I’d stick my bible reading, prayer, evangelism, and knowledge over my nakedness to justify myself just as Adam covered himself with the work of his own hands.

I couldn’t have had it more wrong.

God alone has provided the skin of the animal to Adam by which he was to be covered. He has done the same for me.

My clothing is the blood of the Lamb and I see now that it’s going to be a life long fight to stop trying to cover myself.

Like I said, sin makes you do stupid things… even attempting to justify yourself.

It’s actually a fight to do nothing. To lay down arms, surrender, and do absolutely nothing at all but stand there and wear the garment that’s been provided.

Love this picture

Sent from my iPhone

Posted via email from Matthew Blair

I was recently inspired by a friend’s blog post to draft a decree of sorts summarizing my life as a christian. I used most of his text, but threw in some of my own. Enjoy!

I am a pilgrim here and my name is Christian.

I belong to the fellowship of the One who is holy and just. I am a sinner saved by grace abundant. I am totally depraved in nature and was once bound to just damnation in hell. Yet, by His steadfast love and tender mercy, was spared and given a new name and destination. My past is dead and my curse is lifted. I am now a new creature, thirsting for Him who was once my sworn enemy.

By His bidding, I have become a part of the chosen and regenerated body that now lives in union with Him both here and in heaven above (Col. 3:3). I thread the narrow way; the way that leads to suffering and eternal life. This way is the way of the cross. This life is not my own (1 Cor. 6:20). I have been purchased from the marketplace of sin and death at a high price. The life I now live is Christ!

This place is not my home. This world is now dead to me and I to it. My desire is my Father’s desire. My vision is my Father’s vision. My food is my Father’s will. By Him who works in me, I will persevere to the end.

I have His Spirit who continually works within me, transforming my life for the glory of the One who sent Him. I am not ashamed of what He has begun in me or called me to be. Though the world may see me as foolish and mad, I know that my salvation will one day shame the wise of this age.

In my pilgrimage through this wilderness, I take with me three things of need. I have the compass of His Spirit within to guide me and comfort me along the way, I have the staff of His good gospel to steady my feet when the ground gives way and the wolf accuses and condemns me, and I carry the book of His testimony to light my path and give me hope until my journeys end.

My life has become that of constant paradox…always dying, yet always living; striving yet always resting; empty and always full; broken and yet always complete; sorrowful yet always rejoicing; having nothing yet possessing everything. (2 Cor. 6:9-10)

I bear His Name and His Mark on my forehead and no force in heaven or hell can tear me from His hand. I now walk with the One who saved me. I wear Him as my clothing, take Him as my food, and flee to Him for refuge from the world, my own corruptions, and Satan. And though my heart is ignorant, sinful, and stubborn, by His Spirit I am continually transformed and renewed from one degree of glory to the next until I will finally become that which He has determined me to be from before the foundations of space and time.

I tread the path of those saints who have come before me. I take encouragement from their testimony and lives and count myself most blessed to be numbered among them.

“All for His glory” has become my song.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

This is my decree.

Instead of sitting here sick and feeling bad for my poor little self, I thought I might actually make myself useful and actually post something! What a novel idea.

Like I said, I’m sick. Anyone who knows me knows that when I get sick, watch out for the most disgraceful wretch of a pitiful human being ever to grace the planet. Needless to say, I don’t “do sick well”.

Since I am *this* sick, I missed church this morning. I just didn’t feel up to it from all the medicines flowing through me and my general achyness that I have.

As I’m lying in the bed sniffling like a poor school kid who just had his skates stolen, I began to condemn myself. Ever so subtely, that inner condemnation that I know far too well began to sloooowly creep in. “Awe, c’mon Matt, you’re not that sick,” and “Isn’t He worthy enough for you to drag your pitiful carcass out of bed and into church to worship Him?”

Yeah, you reforming legalists out there know what I’m talking about and you know that voice too well.

It’s the voice of your filthy self righteous self telling you that the Lord is now looking down on you in displeasure. It’s you telling yourself that you blew it yet again and that now you need to beat yourself about the head with a clothes hangar for being such a wretch.

But hold your horses there chief. You’re forgetting something and if my hunch is correct, we legalsits tend to fall into this slough more than we would care to admit during the course of a day.

Winston Churchill, who suffered from a constant ongoing depression often referred to it as a “black dog”. It constantly hounded him and was incessantly digging its nails into his flesh. I read an article dealing with this depression of his and something jumped out at me that I saw as all to closely related to the forgiven man’s fight with his own leglsim and self righteousness:

“Black Dog” was Churchill’s name for his depression, and as is true with all metaphors, it speaks volumes. The nickname implies both familiarity and an attempt at mastery, because while that dog may sink his fangs into one’s person every now and then, he’s still, after all, only a dog, and he can be cajoled sometimes and locked up other times.

Get it? That black dog can be beaten back and locked up. But how? How do we, forgiven men and women, fight back that dog of legalism that so cunningly rears its ugly head to condemn us and rob our joy?

The gospel. It’s the gospel that we need to daily administer to ourselves as one gulps down that bitter medicine when they aren’t feeling well. To the self righteous, that beautiful gospel at times may be bitter to take down. To simply rely on the rightousness of another admits that I in my self am not. It’s a direct assault on the pride and frankly, it’s designed to do just that. To assault you right where you think you have it all together. “Filthy rags” are what you and I bring, we need to remember that at all times. We stand where we stand in a complete alien righteousness that is at times so bizarre and unbelievable to us, that we tend to disregard it and not believe it.

But we must pray “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” You’re a sinner, but a forgiven sinner all the more. Sin boldly we must, but believe on the Lord Jesus 10 times as much.

When that dog creeps in, swallow that gospel and tell the father of lies and the accuser of the bretheren to stand behind you.

By His stripes, you are healed.

This has become one of my favorite sermons of all time. I invite you to take an hour to watch it through. You’ll be glad you did…:)