Tuesday, February 16, 2010Thought of the Day: "Obedience does not consist in paying God back and thus turning grace into a trade. Obedience comes from trusting in God for more grace- future grace- and thus magnifying the infinite resources of God's love and power."
I haven't blogged about A Godward Life in a very long time, but God really placed it on my heart to do this as part of my QT before I go to bed.
The subtitle for today's reading is "Pondering the Power We Need for Obedience." In this reading, John Piper explores three problems of using our gratitude for God's grace as an impetus for our obedience:
1) We cannot pay back God's grace.
2) By "trading" our obedience for God's gracious gifts, we are making grace a business transaction, which basically nullifies grace.
3) Focusing on past grace as a motivation for obedience tends to overlook the importance of future grace.
We should obey God, not because we're grateful that He's taken us through before, but because we know that our steps of faith in obedience will land right in the abundant provisions that His future grace will offer us. Past grace should help us understand the guarantee of future grace, and in grasping the constancy of this future grace, we should step out in faith and in radical obedience.
Praise God for His inexhaustible grace! =)
I haven't blogged about A Godward Life in a very long time, but God really placed it on my heart to do this as part of my QT before I go to bed.
The subtitle for today's reading is "Pondering the Power We Need for Obedience." In this reading, John Piper explores three problems of using our gratitude for God's grace as an impetus for our obedience:
1) We cannot pay back God's grace.
2) By "trading" our obedience for God's gracious gifts, we are making grace a business transaction, which basically nullifies grace.
3) Focusing on past grace as a motivation for obedience tends to overlook the importance of future grace.
We should obey God, not because we're grateful that He's taken us through before, but because we know that our steps of faith in obedience will land right in the abundant provisions that His future grace will offer us. Past grace should help us understand the guarantee of future grace, and in grasping the constancy of this future grace, we should step out in faith and in radical obedience.
Praise God for His inexhaustible grace! =)
Labels: A Godward Life
2:40 AM |
Monday, February 15, 2010Yesterday was Valentine's Day, which is, traditionally, about love.
Yes, 1 Corinthians 13 is the most famous passage about love, but this is my personal favorite in terms of verses about love:
"And this is my prayer: that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." - Philippians 1:9-11
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Yes, 1 Corinthians 13 is the most famous passage about love, but this is my personal favorite in terms of verses about love:
"And this is my prayer: that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." - Philippians 1:9-11
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
2:58 PM |
Thursday, February 11, 2010God is great, sing His praise, all the earth, all the heavens!
So I, like the rest of Philadelphia's college students, am singing for joy because of this second snow day in a row! =)
I never realized how much I needed this time to catch up on work until I got it. I finished my BPUB/Dante/Linguistics homework yesterday and will be working on more Dante/OPIM/next week's Linguistics/EALC today.
But wow, God's timing is so perfect.
I think that praying for a snow day may have seemed rather petty and trivial.
But I bet many people are enjoying the extra days at home with family.
Everyone except the snow shoveling crew and the city's snow-clean up people. ._.
Let's say a prayer for them. They have to work hard!
So I, like the rest of Philadelphia's college students, am singing for joy because of this second snow day in a row! =)
I never realized how much I needed this time to catch up on work until I got it. I finished my BPUB/Dante/Linguistics homework yesterday and will be working on more Dante/OPIM/next week's Linguistics/EALC today.
But wow, God's timing is so perfect.
I think that praying for a snow day may have seemed rather petty and trivial.
But I bet many people are enjoying the extra days at home with family.
Everyone except the snow shoveling crew and the city's snow-clean up people. ._.
Let's say a prayer for them. They have to work hard!
12:53 PM |
Wednesday, February 3, 2010It happens.
Mistakes happen.
I just don't want the same one to happen three times.
I wish I would learn.
Mistakes happen.
I just don't want the same one to happen three times.
I wish I would learn.
10:48 PM |
Tuesday, February 2, 2010"for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable."
When I was prayed for at retreat, the pastor spoke truth into my heart. He asked the Lord to remove from my heart any of the enemy's attempts to convince me that I was worthless and hopelessly fallen because of my shortcomings and the things that I mess up on time and time again.
When I did my quiet time today, God really spoke to me through this short verse.
Praise Him that His faithfulness more than compensates for our shortcomings! =)
When I was prayed for at retreat, the pastor spoke truth into my heart. He asked the Lord to remove from my heart any of the enemy's attempts to convince me that I was worthless and hopelessly fallen because of my shortcomings and the things that I mess up on time and time again.
When I did my quiet time today, God really spoke to me through this short verse.
Praise Him that His faithfulness more than compensates for our shortcomings! =)
1:40 AM |
