Dust and Glory

This is my dilemma…I am dust and ashes, frail and wayward, a set of predetermined behavioural responses, riddled with fears, beset with needs… the quintessence of dust and unto dust I shall return… But there is something else in me… Dust I may be, but troubled dust, dust that dreams, dust that has strange premonitions of transfiguration, of a glory in store, a destiny prepared, an inheritance that will one day be my own … So my life is stretched out in a painful dialectic between ashes and glory, between weakness and transfiguration, I am a riddle to myself, an exasperating enigma, this strange duality of dust and glory.

-Richard Holloway

One holy passion filling all my frame

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
No angel visitant, no opening skies;
But take the dimness of my soul away.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear.
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh,
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heaven descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

George Croly (1780-1860)

Being Born Again

I've just finished reading "Being Born Again" by Gary Brady, a very simply-written book covering many aspects of what it means to be born again.
I just wanted to share with you something quoted in the book, about God's use of means in regeneration:

"Just as the almighty work of God by which he brings forth and sustains our natural life does not rule out but requires the use of means, by which God, according to his infinite wisdom and goodness, has wished to exercise his power, so also the aforementioned supernatural work of God by which he regenerates us in no way rules out or cancels the use of the gospel, which God in his great wisdom has appointed to be the seed of regeneration and the food of the soul. For this reason, the apostles and the teachers who followed them taught the people in a godly manner about this grace of God, to give him the glory and to humble all pride, and yet did not neglect meanwhile to keep the people, by means of the holy admonitions of the gospel, under the administration of the Word, the sacraments, and discipline. So even today it is out of the question that the teachers or those taught in the church should presume to test God by separating what he in his good pleasure has wished to be closely joined together. For grace is bestowed through admonitions, and the more readily we perform our duty, the more lustrous the benefit of God working in us usually is and the better his work advances. To him alone, both for the means and for their saving fruit and effectiveness, all glory is owed for ever. Amen."

Article 17 from the Canons of Dordt (1618, 1619)

Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees

Jesus, where'er Thy people meet,
There they behold Thy mercy-seat;
Where'er they seek Thee Thou art found,
And every place is hallowed ground.

For Thou, within no walls confined,
Inhabitest the humble mind;
Such ever bring Thee where they come,
And going, take Thee to their home.

Dear Shepherd of Thy chosen few,
Thy former mercies here renew;
Here to our waiting hearts proclaim
The sweetness of Thy saving Name.

Here may we prove the power of prayer,
To strengthen faith and sweeten care,
To teach our faint desires to rise,
And bring all heaven before our eyes.

Lord, we are few, but Thou are near,
Nor short Thine arm, nor deaf Thine ear;
O rend the heavens, come quickly down,
And make a thousand hearts Thine own!

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What various hindrances we meet
In coming to the mercy-seat;
Yet who, that knows the worth of prayer,
But wishes to be often there!

Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw,
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw,
Gives exercise to faith and love,
Brings every blessing from above.

Restraining prayer we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

When Moses stood with arms spread wide,
Success was found on Israel's side;
But when through weariness they failed,
That moment Amalek prevailed.

Have we no words? ah, think again!
Words flow apace when you complain,
And fill your fellow-creature's ear
With the sad tale of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent
To heaven in supplication sent,
Our cheerful song would oftener be-
'Hear what the Lord has done for me.'

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These two wonderful hymns on the subject of prayer were written by William Cowper (1731-1800). Here is a man who knew and felt the power and worth of prayer. Here is a man who knew that, through men and women's prayers, God worked out His purposes. He knew that prayer strengthens Christians, and brings God's "every blessing from above" to them.

Cowper, through the hymns that he wrote, has encouraged so many saints to pray fervently and persistently, so that, even over two centuries after his death, our hearts are in tune with his, when he wrote "have we no words? ah think again. Words flow apace when you complain..." and so on. Although the external world around us changes in its fashions and crazes, the spiritual battle remains essentially the same for all Christians throughout the centuries. Don't our hearts cry out within us when we read Paul's words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in Romans 7: "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."? When we read this, don't we just want to shout out, "Yes Paul, I feel exactly the same! I have the same struggle going on within me!"? And, if you're anything like me, you feel a certain sense of relief that you're not the only person who has these struggles. While God is God and sinners are sinners, the battles will remain the same - until the Lord Jesus comes again and all things are put right.

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

To get back to the topic of prayer, if Cowper had such a godly approach and understanding of prayer, how then could he write the following words in a letter to William Bull in October 1782?

"Prove to me that I have a right to pray, and I will pray without ceasing, yes and praise too, even in the belly of Hell, compared with which Jonah's was a palace, a temple of the living God...I have not even asked a blessing upon my food these ten years, nor do I expect that I shall ever ask it again."

Don't these words fill us with a sense of dread - and rightly so? Cowper had lost all sense of the assurance that he previously knew, that the Lord Jesus was willing and able to answer his prayers. He didn't believe that anyone else should stop praying - only himself - he even said in his letter to Bull "There is not a Man upon earth that might not be the better for it [Bull's advice about prayer], myself only accepted." On a similar note, in January 1784, in a letter to Newton, Cowper was writing about the "existence of divine truth, that he who once had possession of it should never finally lose it." Continuing, he wrote "I admit the solidarity of this reasoning in every case but my own...God's ways are mysterious, and he giveth no account of his matters."

If Cowper, who penned some of the most encouraging words about prayer, could cease himself to pray for over a decade, how do we stand a hope of continuing in prayer?

The words of JC Ryle concerning Peter's denial of the Lord Jesus are brought to my mind:

"Peter was a chosen apostle of Christ. He had enjoyed greater spiritual privileges than most men in the world. He had received the Lord's Supper and the teaching of the upper room (John 13-17). He had been plainly warned of his danger. He had protested most loudly what He was going to do. Yet this very man denied his gracious Master, and that repeatedly and after intervals giving him space for reflection. He denied Him once, twice, three times! The best and highest saint is a poor, weak creature even at his best times. Whether he knows it or not, he carries within him an almost boundless capacity of wickedness, however fair and decent his outward conduct may seem. There is no enormity of sin into which he may not run if he does not watch and pray and find himself upheld by the grace of God."

I suppose one of the things we can learn from looking back at Cowper's enigmatic and rather confusing spiritual life, is to always remember that "the best and highest saint is a poor, weak creature even at his best times." Cowper's sinful nature had extended to infecting his mind, so that he was not thinking in a right way about God's word and His promises to him, and this had lead him to disobey God and stop praying to Him. Let us take heed from this great man's life: "if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" 1 Cor 10:12. No Christian is too good or too strong to fall into any sin, unless God's grace restrains us. Never trust your own ability to stand or succeed in the battle against sin.

Thank God that He is a God who loves sinners, and is full of mercy and compassion, and saves us by His grace alone! If He loved and saved the chief of sinners, then my sin is not too great for Him to forgive! Thanks be to God that "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Romans 5:20). It will redound to God's glory and the glory of the Lamb when we poor, weak sinners, who trusted God so little, and ran into sin so often and so gladly, stand before His throne in heaven, fully redeemed and washed clean forever in Jesus' blood. Praise be to Him.

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All Cowper quotes are taken from the excellent book "William Cowper: The Man of God's Stamp" by George M Ella (published by Joshua Press)

The picture of Cowper is from The Cowper & Newton Museum website:

http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cnm/index.html

Godliness with contentment is great gain

1 Timothy 6:6-10
"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

In the morning service at church today we were reminded of the danger of wanting to be rich, because it leads us to love something else more than we love God. Instead, we are to be content with what we have. Why should we make a god out of the gifts that God gives us, when we have the Giver Himself! He is all that we need, and He "gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim 6:17) He is to be our joy and the Love of our lives.

Thinking about contentment reminded me of a wonderful hymn by Adelaide Procter (1825-1864). God is such a wise God, who gives us many good and happy things. Yet the pleasant things found on earth are all temporary, that we may not find our all in all in them, but look to God and our Eternal Home for our true joy - "we have enough, yet not too much to long for more."

My God, I thank Thee, who hast made
The earth so bright,
So full of splendor and of joy,
Beauty and light;
So many glorious things are here,
Noble and right.

I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast made
Joy to abound;
So many gentle thoughts and deeds
Circling us round,
That in the darkest spot of earth
Some love is found.

I thank Thee more that all our joy
Is touched with pain,
That shadows fall on brightest hours,
That thorns remain;
So that earth’s bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.

For thou who knowest, Lord, how soon
Our weak heart clings,
Hast given us joys, tender and true,
Yet all with wings;
So that we see gleaming on high
Diviner things.

I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept
The best in store;
We have enough, yet not too much
To long for more:
A yearning for a deeper peace
Not known before.

I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls
Though amply blessed,
Can never find, although they seek
A perfect rest;
Nor ever shall, until they lean
On Jesus’ breast.

TV watching 'makes you sad'

The Metro reported yesterday that TV watching 'makes you sad.'

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?TV_watching_makes_you_sad&in_article_id=401541&in_page_id=34&in_a_source=

"The more television you watch, the less happy a person you are likely to be.
That is the conclusion from analysis of 30 years of data covering attitudes of 30,000 US adults.
While the depressed watched TV, happy people were socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read more newspapers."

I don't believe that watching or having a tv is wrong. But it does concern me just how large a part of life watching tv and talking about tv are to most people these days. The look of shock and horror that crosses people's faces if they find out that we don't have a tv - by choice - is most astounding. It is as if life could not go on without tv. This is surely not a right attitude.

I suppose I have two problems with tv and films etc.
The first is the time-wasting influence that it can have on one's life. Sadly I know this from past experience. It can be so easy to sit back and let the tv programmes wash over you whilst you sit there and do nothing. Unfortunately, my sinful heart has found new ways to waste time since giving up television.
The second is the sad fact that most tv programmes and films have things in them (events depicted, attitudes displayed etc) which are unhelpful and often sinful for the Christian to watch and absorb. Our sense of hating sin can be dulled when we choose to watch things which don't please God - all for the sake of entertainment. This, of course, includes the wrong use of the God the Father and the Lord Jesus' precious name, which is the only name given among men by which we may be saved.

In the book entitled "Worldliness" edited by C J Mahaney, John Piper writes the following in the foreward:

"What does it look like when the blood of Christ governs the television and the Internet and the iPod and the checkbook and the neckline? Most people have never even asked this question, let alone answered it. The only way most folks know how to draw lines is with rulers. The idea that lines might come into being freely and lovingly (and firmly) as the fruit of the gospel is rare."

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

"May the Lord of all beauty purify our minds so that these are our greatest delights. In the end, the sum of all beauty is Christ, and the sin of worldliness is to diminish our capacity to see him and be satisfied in him and show him compellingly to a perishing world."

It is my hope and prayer that I and believers all around the world will allow the blood of Christ to govern all of our activities all of the time - out of love for the God who has first loved us and shown His love to us in the Lord Jesus. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world." 1 John 5:3-4.

1 John 2:1-6
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

Psalm 119 verses 105-112

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep your righteous judgments.
I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.
Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
And teach me Your judgments.
My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.