DOING IN FAITH

Kevin DeYoung: Unless you are doing what you’re doing in faith, it cannot be pleasing to God. Unless your aim is for the glory of God, it is not ultimately a good work.

The Last Adam

The first Adam

• Born of dirt

• Tempted and failed

• Brought a curse

• Blamed his bride

• Died and buried

The last Adam

• Eternal Son of God

• Tempted and victorious

• Became a curse

• Took the blame for His bride

• Died and risen

--Dustin Benge.

WHAT WE CANNOT AVOID

“What we cannot avoid—may we cheerfully submit to, and not indulge a vain thought that we could choose a better situation for ourselves (all things considered) than he has chosen for us!” 

 ~JOHN NEWTON

God's Unfailing Love

God’s unfailing love for us is an objective fact affirmed over and over in the Scriptures. It is true whether we believe it or not. Our doubts do not destroy God’s love, nor does our faith create it. It originates in the very nature of God, who is love.

Jerry Bridges

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN ON RISING

If because we have the 'first installment' we cry 'Abba, Father', what will happen when on rising, we see Him face to face? —Irenaeus

ETERNITY SHOULD BE HIS SCOPE

A man's greatest care should be for that place where he lives longest; therefore eternity should be his scope. THOMAS MANTON

TO THE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHRISTIAN

Every atom in the universe is managed by Christ so as to be most to the advantage of the Christian. Jonathan Edwards

IT IS VERY GOOD

When God made the world, he saw all that he had made and smiled, for it was all very good; (and likewise) so God delights in us when we are a new creation in Christ. God says, 'It is all very good.' God loves his own workmanship in the soul. Robert Murray M'Cheyne

LEARN TO CALL

“You must learn to call on the Lord. Don’t sit all alone or lie on the couch, shaking your head and letting your thoughts torture you. Don’t worry about how to get out of your situation or brood about your terrible life, how miserable you feel, and what a bad person you are. Instead, say, “Get a grip on yourself, you lazy bum! Fall on your knees, and raise your hands and eyes toward heaven. Read a psalm. Say the Lord’s Prayer, and tearfully tell God what you need.” Martin Luther, Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional

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Rareness

Through the inward conflicts, secret workings, mysterious changes, and ever-varying exercises of his soul, the true Christian becomes established in a deep experience of his own folly and God's wisdom, his own weakness and Christ's strength, his own sinfulness and the Lord's goodness, his own backslidings and the Spirit's recoveries, his own base ingratitude and Jehovah's patience, the aboundings of sin and the super-aboundings of grace. He thus becomes daily more and more confirmed in the vanity of the creature, the utter helplessness of man, the deceitfulness and hypocrisy of the human heart, the sovereignty of distinguishing grace, the fewness of heaven-taught ministers, the scanty number of living souls, and the great rareness of true religion. -- J.C. Philpot

Legalism, License, Utilitarianism, Love

I want to briefly layout 4 approaches to Bible Reading and Prayer though each approach can be discussed for several pages.

a.) Legalism. One is having daily Bible reading and prayer because "Moses" said so, and if you don't you are 'in trouble' and disappointing to God. You might as well hide like Adam in the Garden, knowing your shame and guilt for failing to meet with God.

b.) License. Since the person is confident in "grace" then the commitment to read the Bible and pray is extremely sporadic at best. Our standing with God is based upon the gift of Jesus, so we will rest in that truth, and deduce commitment to commune with God is expressed by "faith in Christ" not by "reading His word."

c.) Utilitarianism. This is like Legalism, but it is viewing Bible reading and prayer as a means to and end, and not the goal itself. 1.) If I read the Bible, then my sanctification will improve, if it is not improving, then I need to read my Bible even more. 2.) If I read the Bible, then my disciplining of other Christians will improve, if it is not improving, then I just got to become smarter through more Bible reading. 3.) If I read the Bible, then my apologetics and evangelism to the lost will improve (i.e. more results, more persons convinced of what I present); If it is not improving then I just need to be smarter and read the Bible more.

d.) Love. Yes we are commanded to seek God; Yes God uses means, and our morning devotions can be a means to an end. However, they should never be pursued "as" or "because" a means to an end; Rather, we should enjoy daily communion with God in Scripture and Prayer because a.) He first loved us, namely in Jesus Christ, and b.) we love him.

When you go to a restaurant you may talk to the waitress, the cashier, and even gab with strangers to be friendly, but 95% of the people you do not address because you are a stranger to them and they are a stranger to you; they would find it odd and even un-welcomed for you to join their table over supper. However, if you walked into a restaurant and were surprised to see your spouse, brother, son, uncle, or relative, then you would go eat with them and fellowship with them without question or without hesitation. You wouldn't do so our of "law" and you wouldn't express some "freedom" to sit elsewhere, and hopefully you wouldn't go sit with them based on ulterior selfish motives to get something out of/ from them.

You would sit with them because they love you and you love them. And aiming to be brief, though many more pages could elaborate...this should be our approach to daily time reading the Bible and praying --- to enjoy and acknowledge His love and communicate our love returned to Him; to enjoy and acknowledge the wisdom of His instruction, guidance, goodness, and precepts, and eagerly express our faith and praise to Him.