A while back a chart comparing religion and the gospel was pointed out to me and this week I had a chance to read it. It is a must read. It is a single page that is worth reading, using for self examination, and utilizing in adjusting one’s perspective.
Here is the link. Go there. Read it.
In searching for pastoral wisdom a couple of mornings ago I read through the book of 1 Timothy. 1 and 2 Timothy along with Titus are known as the pastoral epistles. They are about how to lead, shepherd, and conduct oneself in the church of God.
There were two passages, quite similar to each other, that serve as bookends to this letter and contain the pastoral wisdom that I am in need of right now.
To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. -1 Timothy 1:17
. . . he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. -1 Timothy 6:15b-16
God is King. He is supreme. He is on the throne. At our jobs, in our families, in our church. He is the ultimate reality, the unchanging God when all is falling apart. He is glorious, surrounded in inexplicable majesty and splendor. There is none like Him. He is worthy of all glory and honor from now and into eternity.
This is the God we worship and serve today. He is the lens through which we must view all of life.
Work takes up a good part of our lives. It makes sense then for us to give thought to what work we will give our lives to.
As I interact with guys I find that the time demands of work present a constant challenge. There are probably a number of factors that contribute to this- some good and some not so good. We are to work hard for the glory of God, avoid the traps of worldly ambition and greed, and keep other priorities in perspective. It seems that the answers are rarely easy.
For those of you who have not yet settled on a career or are considering a transition I came across a thought provoking post from Rick Phillips at the Reformation21 blog.
I’m not sure that the best way to look at career choices is to place the discussion into the obedient/disobedient framework, but rather into the wise/unwise framework. Now, there are career choices that are simply sinful, but few Christians are wrestling with whether or not to be a mafia hitman or topless dancer. For most believers, the issue really is “is this wise?”
In this respect, I have considerable concerns regarding corporate America. To be sure, it is good to have Christians in our corporations (and we have many). But having familiarized myself with today’s corporations while attending the Wharton School of Business, and having fed my family during seminary by working as a corporate consultant, I find that most corporate careers breed highly unhealthy lifestyles. The corporate executive track offers so much — wealth, power, excitement — but at such a cost: everything else! When I was at Wharton, it was practically expected that you would get divorced!
I would suggest this grid for making decisions about career choices: Does this path allow me to be faithful to all my callings? To be sure, I am called to provide for my family and contribute to the world. But am I not called to be a nurturing husband, a devoted father, a contributing church member (and not just contributing money!), and a zealous witness for Christ? If we can not be at least faithful in all our callings, then we are making poor choices, and we will probably look back on our lives with regret. Especially when thinking about the “fast track” to worldly success, we need to ask, “What is the price tag for this?” and “Does God want me to pay it?”
Here are the announcements from this last Sunday:
¨ Baptism Service– July 29th at 9:30am at Auburn Recreation Park (we will be gathering near the pool and the small playground on the north side of the park). If you have not experienced the joy of praising and obeying your Lord in baptism talk with your Grace Group Elder about being baptized (Note: there will be no evening service on the 29th).
¨ Dessert with the Elders/Congregational Meeting– On August 12th the elders will host a dessert and coffee congregational meeting immediately following the service. This will be a time for open communication between the elders and the congregation.
¨ Parenting Conference– Mark your calendars. September 21st and 22nd we will be hosting a parenting conference using The Case for Kids DVD series featuring Tedd and Paul Tripp.
Also, we announced this last Sunday that we will be moving our main services to the mornings beginning August 26th. We will meet at 10 am and services will continue to be held at Canyon View Community Center.
In conjunction with this we will be mixing up Grace Groups and switching their time. The tentative plan at this point is to hold them on Wednesday or Thursday evenings. We are currently collecting input regarding this switch and specifically trying to gather information on which night people would not be able to attend a Grace Group on. Feel free to e-mail, call us or comment below.
Mark Lauterbach at the Gospeldrivenlife posted this morning on the fear that comes from being in God’s presence. He reflects on Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement, and the precious nature of Christ’s sacrifice. I have posted an excerpt below (read the entire post here).
…Imagine being in your cubicle at work, watching a U-Tube video during a slow afternoon. You see a shadow cross your desk and look behind you to find the boss watching you waste company time. Later you tell your friends, “I could not believe it. I turned around and there he was. I could have died on the spot.” The old word for this was, “I was mortified.” That means, in short, “I died.”
Why do we say that? because we have been found out. In the presence of another, who has authority to evaluate and bring consequences in our lives, we have been seen for what we are. A secret sin was revealed. Our reputation was shot. Our hypocrisy exposed. How much more so is this true when the One who sees us is the God of glory.
When sinners enter the presence of God, he is a threat to us. He reveals our sin, unmasks the deceits of our hearts, brings his eye to bear upon the motives of our actions, and we are undone. With God it is not “I could have died” — it is “I died.”
…The focus on Leviticus 16 is on how we can come to God without dying. And the key word for that is propitiation. Propitiation means the God of glory has made a way for sinners to come to him without fear and in peace. The words related to propitiation are all over Leviticus 16 when it was translated into Greek.
God made a way for man to come without God’s holy wrath breaking out against us in our sin. God made a way for finite and created man to come to him without his uncreated majesty consuming us.
But in Leviticus it was limited — one man, once a year, with sacrifices for his son and the sins of the people. Until Christ came . . .
Paul Tripp has been writing posts for about two months based on Psalm 51. I think I have referenced one or two before and here is yet another. This one, like several others he has done, is done in somewhat of a poetic style and layout.
By the way, if you are looking for a blog to read regularly I would recommend this one. It is consistently insightful, heart-searching, and soul-enriching.
Here is the question to ask yourself as you read- Am I broken hearted as God desires?
Perhaps
if I give you
some of my time.
Perhaps
if I give you
some of my strength.
Perhaps
if I give you
some of my things.
Perhaps
if I give you
some of my thoughts.
Perhaps
if I give you
some of my success.
Perhaps
if I give you
some of my relationships.
Surely
these sacrifices
will bring you delight.
Surely
these offerings
will bring you joy.
I’m quite willing
to give a tithe
I’m quite willing
to interrupt
my schedule.
I’m quite willing
to volunteer
to serve.
I’m quite willing
to do
my part.
But I get the sense
that you’re not satisfied
with a piece of me.
I get the sense
that momentary giving
momentary service
momentary sacrifice
momentary ministry
the momentary turning
of my heart to you
will not satisfy you.
But I must admit
that I’m afraid
of what you require.
I’m afraid of a
broken spirit.
I’m afraid of a
contrite heart.
I’m afraid to be
crushed by your grace.
So I try to
distract you
with my service
distract you
with my time
distract you
with my money.
Deep inside
I know what you want.
Deep inside
I’m sure of what you require.
I’m afraid
because I want to hold onto
my heart.
I want
to give it to other things.
I want to
pursue pleasures
outside of you.
I’m afraid
to give you
what would satisfy you.
I’m afraid of a
broken heart.
So I regularly offend you
with empty offerings
and vacuous praise.
Hoping
to my own destruction
that you’ll be satisfied.“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)
