Labor of Love

This is "Labor of Love" performed live with Jill Phillips singing the lead. This song is one of several great ones on the album Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson. I highly recommend this album!

The Key to Spiritual Growth

So often we talk of "growing in Christ." We talk of our desire to "grow in Christ." We confess certain struggles or areas that we need to "grow in Christ." Yet so often that growth never happens, the transformation we long for never comes. Why is that? Author, RC Sproul offers his thoughts:

The key method Paul underscored as the means to the transformed life is by the 'renewal of the mind.' This means nothing more and nothing less than education. Serious education. In-depth education. Disciplined education in the things of God. It calls for a mastery of the Word of God. We need to be people whose lives have changed because our minds have changed...To be conformed to Jesus, we must first begin to think as Jesus did. We need the 'mind of Christ.' We need to value the things He values and despise the things He despises. We need to have the same priorities He has. We need to consider weighty the things that He considers weighty. That cannot happen without a mastery of His Word. The key to spiritual growth is in-depth Christian education that requires a serious level of sacrifice. (The Holiness of God, 164)

Consider that last line: "The key to spiritual growth is in-depth Christian education that requires a serious level of sacrifice." My question is, what will you sacrifice for your spiritual growth?

The Pride of Hezekiah....and Me

In Isaiah 39 (which by the way follows 36-38 where God miraculously saves Hezekiah and Judah from the destruction of the Assyrians and then also adds 15 years to Hezekiah's life) the king Hezekiah receives some guest from Babylon and proceeds to "show off" all the possessions of his kingdom. When confronted by Isaiah Hezekiah openly admits that he showed them everything. Isaiah then prophesies the coming of the Babylonians, even going as far to mention that Hezekiah's sons (probably grandchildren) would serve as eunichs in the kingdom of Babylon. And here is how Hezekiah responds:

Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”

Do you hear the self-centered pride? Hezekiah doesn't really care what happens after he's gone, just as long as there is peace and security in his lifetime.

Well I can't be too hard on Hezekiah because I too struggle with self-centered pride. I too get wrapped up in my own world. I too get set in my own agenda, ignoring God's and others - which if I'm not mistaken is the complete opposite of what I am supposed to be doing - the command is to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Hezekiah's story of pride works like a mirror revealing my own self-centered attitudes and actions. So my prayer today is that God would help me to get over myself and love Him and others more than I love me.

Pleasing My Father

Over the past several weeks I've been reading through The Holiness of God, by RC Sproul. Below is a quote that I found very encouraging yesterday:

"....We are to fear God not with a servile fear like that of a prisoner before his tormentor but as children who do not wish to displease their beloved Father." (pg. 154)