On Mathew 6:
Anxiety creates its own treasures and
they in turn beget further care. When we seek for security in
possessions we are trying to drive out care with care, and the net
result is the precise opposite of our anticipations. The fetters which
bind us to our possessions prove to be cares themselves.
The way
to misuse our possessions is to use them as an insurance against the
morrow. Anxiety is always directed to the morrow, whereas goods are in
the strictest sense meant only for today. Sufficient unto the day is
the evil thereof. The only way to win assurance is by leaving to-morrow
entirely in the hands of God and by receiving from him all we need for
to-day. If instead of receiving God's gifts for to-day we worry about
tomorrow, we find ourselves helpless victims of infinite anxiety. "Be
not anxious for the morrow" : either that is cruel mockery for the poor
and wretched, the very people Jesus is talking to who, humanly speaking
really will starve if they do not make provision to-day. Either it is
an intolerable law, which men will reject with indignation; or it is the
unique proclamation of the gospel of the glorious liberty of the
children of God, who have a Father in heaven, a Father who has given his
beloved Son. How shall not God with him also freely give us all
things?
"Be not anxious for the morrow"." this is not to be taken
as a philosophy of life or a moral law: it is the gospel of Jesus
Christ, and only so can it be understood. Only those who follow him and
know him can receive this word as a promise of the love of his Father
and as a deliverance from the thraldom of material things. It is not
care that frees the disciples from care, but their faith in Jesus
Christ. Only they know that we cannot be anxious(verse 27).
The coming day, even the coming hour, are placed beyond our control. It
is senseless to pretend that we can make provision because we cannot
alter the circumstances of this world. Only God can take care, for it
is He who rules the world. Since we cannot take care, since we
are so completely powerless, we ought not to do it either. If we do,
we are dethroning God and presuming to rule the world ourselves.
"Now
mark ye, no beast worketh for his sustenance, but each hath his proper
function, according to which he seeketh and findeth his own food. The
bird doth fly and sing, she maketh nests and beareth young. That is her
work, but yet she doth not nourish herself thereby. Oxen plough,
horses draw carts and fight, sheep give wool, milk, and cheese, for it
is their function so to do. But they do not nurture themselves thereb.
Nay, the earth bringeth forth grass, and nurtureth them through God's
blessing. Likewise it is man's bounden duty to work and do things, and
yet withal to know that it is Another who nurtureth him: it is not his
own work, but the bounteous blessing of God. It is true that the bird
doth neither sow nor reap, yet would she die of hunger if she flew not
in search of food. But that she findeth the same is not her work, bu
tthe goodness of God. For who put the food there, that she might find
it? For where God hath put nought, none findeth, even though the whole
worl dwere to work itself to death in search therefof.'(Luther).
- From Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Quote of the Day
God's
Orchestra
The great Composer writes the
theme
And gives us each a part to
play;
To some a sweet and flowing air,
Smooth and unbroken all the way;
They pour their full heart's
gladness out
In notes of joy and service
blent;
But some He gives long bars of
"rests,"
With idle voice and instrument.
He who directs the singing
spheres,
The music of the morning stars,
Needs, for His full creation's
hymn,
The quiet of the soundless bars.
Be silent unto God, my soul,
If this the score He writes for
thee,
And "hold the rest,"
play no false note
To mar His perfect harmony.
Yet be thou watchful for thy
turn,
Strike on the instant, true and
clear,
Lest from the grand, melodious
whole
Thy note be missing to His ear.
Annie
Johnson Flint
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Quote of the Day
Of course, none of
us is infallible, but it’s possible to understand the truth of the infallible
Scriptures without being infallible ourselves. For example, we can know with
absolute certainty that Jesus is God, that salvation is by grace through faith,
that God is just, and that He judges sin. There’s an endless array of things
we’re taught in Scripture that are clear and undeniable. The central message of
Scripture is perspicuous — clear enough
for all its essential propositions to be understood. Above all, the way of
salvation through Christ is clear, and the claim that we are fallible will be
no excuse for those who reject it.
It is significant
that Scripture commends boldness, clarity, conviction, and courage — especially
in church leaders (Titus 1:9).
Timidity and faintheartedness are not spiritual virtues to be nurtured but
fleshly character flaws that need to be overcome (Eph. 6:19–20; Col. 4:4; 2 Tim. 1:6–8).
The faithful preacher’s calling is to declare the Word of God without
mitigating it, modifying it, or apologizing for it. He is not there to share
personal opinions. He ought to speak accordingly (Ezek. 2:4–7).
The commonly held
notion that strong convictions are inherently uncharitable is itself an
uncharitable judgment, rooted in secular and postmodern rationalism rather than
biblical values. Likewise, skepticism, not Scripture, is the source of the
notion that we can never really be sure about anything because our
interpretations are fallible.
It’s not “arrogant”
by any biblical standard to declare our confidence in the truth of God’s Word
or to say “Thus says the Lord” where God has indeed spoken. What’s truly
arrogant is the notion that God hasn’t spoken clearly enough, or that He hasn’t
told us enough to enable the faithful pastor to teach and preach with that kind
of authority.
It’s true enough
that the mind of God is inscrutable, especially from the narrow perspective of
human wisdom. Notice, however, that when the Apostle Paul made that very point,
he immediately added, “But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). The
immediate context, especially verse 10, shows that Paul was speaking of how the
Spirit illumines our minds to understand what is revealed to us in Scripture. Luke 24:45 says Christ
opened the disciples’ minds “to understand the Scriptures.” Though we cannot
know everything perfectly, of course, it does not follow that we cannot know anything for certain. Confusion on that point
is the Achilles’ heel of postmodern philosophy.
John Macarthur
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Quote of the Day
The great thing, if
one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of
one's 'own', or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the
interruptions are precisely one's real life—the life God is sending one day by
day: what one calls one's 'real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination.
C. S. Lewis
Monday, September 3, 2012
Quote of the Day
He's
helping me now--this moment,
Though I
may not see it or hear,
Perhaps by
a friend far distant,
Perhaps by
a stranger near,
Perhaps by
a spoken message
Perhaps by
the printed word;
In ways
that I know and know not
I have the
help of the Lord.
He's
keeping me now--this moment,
However I
need it most,
Perhaps by
a single angel,
Perhaps by
a mighty host,
Perhaps by
the chain that frets me,
Or the
walls that shut me in;
In ways
that I know or know not
He keeps me
from harm and sin.
He's
guiding me now--this moment,
In pathways
easy or hard,
Perhaps by
a door wide open,
Perhaps by
a door fast barred,
Perhaps by
a joy withholden
Perhaps by
a gladness given;
In ways
that I know and know not,
He's
leading me up to heaven.
He's using
me now--this moment,
And whether
I go or stand,
Perhaps by
a plan accomplished
Perhaps
when he stays my hand,
Perhaps by
a word in season
Perhaps by
a silent prayer;
In ways
that I know and know not,
His labor
of love I share.
Annie
Johnson Flint
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