A Gospel-Centered Prayer

This is taken from The Valley of Vision, by far my favorite devotional literature. Each prayer is a theological and spiritual feast for the soul. Here’s what I read this morning:

The Gospel Way

Blessed Lord Jesus,

No human mind could conceive or invent the gospel.

Acting in eternal grace, thou art both its messenger and its message, lived out on earth through infinite compassion, applying thy life to insult, injury, death, that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.

Blessed be thou, O Father, for contriving this way,

Eternal thanks to thee, O Lamb of God, for opening this way,

Praise everlasting to thee, O Holy Spirit, for applying this way to my heart.

Glorious Trinity, impress the gospel on my soul, until its virtue diffuses every faculty; Let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt.

Teach me to secure this mighty blessing; Help me to give up every darling lust, to submit heart and life to its command, to have it in my will, controlling my affections, moulding my understanding; to adhere strictly to the rules of true religion, not departing from them in any instance, nor for any advantage in order to escape evil, inconvenience or danger.

Take me to the cross to seek glory from its infamy; Strip me of every pleasing pretence of righteousness by my own doings.

O gracious Redeemer,

I have neglected thee too long,

often crucified thee,

crucified thee afresh by my impenitence,

put thee to open shame.

I thank thee for the patience that has borne with me so long,

and for the grace that now makes me willing to be thine.

O unite me to thyself with inseparable bonds, that nothing may ever draw me back from thee, my Lord, my Saviour.

It’s also available in an audio format, read by Max Mclean.

Beware of the Drift

“People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

― D.A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers

Fight Sin With All Your Might, But Remember…

Are you wrestling with the power of indwelling sin? As a Christian, do you sometimes think that your life is a ever-present struggle with an enemy that simply will not go away? According to Sinclair Ferguson in Christian Spirituality, the great Puritan theologian John Owen reminds us of a great difficulty for pastors in this regard:

[Owen] saw two major pastoral burdens to be : “to convince those in whom sin evidently hath the dominion that such indeed is there state and condition”; and “to satisfy some that sin hath not the dominion over them, notwithstanding its restless acting itself in them and warring against their souls; yet unless this can be done, it is impossible then they should enjoy solid peace and comfort in this life.“

Paul makes this second point clear in Rom. 6. For blood-bought saints, those who genuinely (though imperfectly) cling to Jesus for redemption, sin no longer reigns over them. This is an objective fact. Christ, not sin, reigns. We have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. The trials and struggles we fight in this life are real and need to be taken seriously, but that must be put in perspective. Christ has won the victory as our king, so these battles are but skirmishes in a war that already been won.

There’s no point in fighting a battle if you believe your failure is just around the corner. Pursue victory. Fight sin with all your might. But remember that the battle belongs to the Lord.

You’re on the winning team.

The Poison of Discontentment

Take a minute and consider the good things in your life. Rich friendships, your job, your savings, family, etc. All of these things come from the gracious and loving hand of God, who provides good things both to his children and his enemies. Now consider how often marketing gurus sell you the idea that these good thing aren’t enough. I’m no stranger to this, especially since I’ve lived so long in New York City. Everywhere I turn I see an image that hints to me that my appearance isn’t good enough, my wife isn’t “hot” enough, I don’t earn enough, my iPod is out of date, blah, blah, blah.

Advertising isn’t simply an attempt to sell a product, it creates false neeeds. The only thing that’s free is that whopping dose of discontentment they generously dispense. Our culture is so anti-intellect that products cannot possible be sold on the basis of their merits alone. So instead what’s sold is a vision of life. What’s amazing is how most of these visions at peddled at the sub-conscious level, where words and propositions are considerably weakened in their persuasive power. They don’t primarily shape out thoughts, they shape our desires, our longings, our passions. The goal is to make up into Apple-people, Nike-people, Starbucks people.

But do we really need all of this stuff? Have we really fallen for the lie that says more stuff will make us happier? I know that in many aspects of my life I have. It’s not something that I rejoice in. According to Paul, God ordered our lives in such a fashion that where, when, and how we are are the result of his all-knowing, all-loving plan Cf. Acts 17).

Are you looking for someone, something other than Jesus to be your function messiah, the One that will take all of the discontentment away and usher peace into your life? The Apostle Paul also faced those temptations, and his words are a beacon of light:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Fight the fight against discontentment. Cling to Christ as your all-surpassing treasure. Partner with his people as they live a pilgrim life in this broken and dissatisfied world.