Hallelujah!
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear GOD,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright--how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people--
God's grace and mercy and justice!
"We must, therefore, cheerfully embrace the law of God, and that, too, in such a manner, that the love of it, with all its sweetness, may overcome all the allurements of the flesh, otherwise, mere attention to it will be unavailing."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"Unprofitable Works"
Titus 3:9
Reading from the English Standard Version
But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.
Wow.
This verse comes at the end of Paul's discussion on good works and how important they are to the church and its surrounding community. Then he gives a "parting shot at the falsehood of Titus' opponents." Even now, as in Paul's day, we need to reject "those who prefer their own ideas to the faith once for all delivered to the saints." Caution: This is not to say that we cannot be a people who think! Please! We must use our brains. In fact, this is why so many false teachers are able to thrive in our culture and in our churches, because we tend to blindly believe whatever anyone tells us, as long as it sounds reasonable. But if someone comes to you with a teaching or doctrine that sounds fishy...compare it to Scripture. The Word of God is our final authority on all matters of faith and practice.
Now here is a matter that plagues me sometimes. "We must stand for the truth but never be the kind of people who are always itching for a fight." Ouch!
"Growing in Grace"
2 Peter 3:18
Reading from the English Standard Version
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
What does it mean to grow in grace? Is it simply to grow in Christian character? That's probably not entirely accurate. "...a more accurate meaning is to continually grow in our understanding of God's grace, especially as it applies to us personally, to become progressively more aware of our own continued spiritual bankruptcy and the unmerited, unearned, and undeserved favor of God."
As we do grow in grace, our motivation for obedience changes. Instead of being "merit-oriented," it will become more reverence-oriented. This author, along with many others, use gratitude as a motive for obedience and good works, but I'm not convinced that this is biblically valid. I do believe that gratitude can be a motivation for good works, but if it becomes a sense of trying to "repay" God for his grace, then that is purely, well, ridiculous. We could never repay God for what he has done for us, and I believe to try is an affront to his grace. But I don't think the Bible ever presents gratitude as a motivation for good works and obedience. I'm willing to hear objections on that matter, though, if solid Scripture references are included. :-) Keep in mind, too, that our motives will never be completely pure, not in this life. The "merit" idea will slip in there, thinking that God will like me a little more if I do this. And there is also the "reward" motivation, too. Maybe if I do this thing, God will give me what I want. Yeah. Don't try to deny it. You've done that, too, haven't you? I know I have. I feel really silly afterwards, too. God's grace is not based on anything that we have done or will do. Ever.
If your motives have been largely "merit-oriented," don't be discouraged. Begin to try to move more toward grace motives. Think about the implications of God's grace in your lives. Pray that God would motivate you by his mercy and love. When you catch yourself having merit-oriented motives, renounce them and throw yourself on the grace of God, and the merit of Jesus Christ. Now there's your merit motivation!! "As you grow in grace in this way, you will indeed discover that His love compels you to live--not for yourself, but for Him who died for you and was raised again."
I pray that Scripture will always be my "litmus test" for doctrine and theology. Let me never fall prey to false teachers. You have given me a gift of being zealous for searching the Scriptures when I'm presented with a "new idea" in theology (I know there is really no such thing...) to see if it really squares with what you say in your Word. I pray for believers everywhere, that they will not fall prey to slick manipulators who are hungry for money or power, or even fame. Strengthen us all against false teachings with your Holy Spirit.
Finally, I pray that we would all develop a love for your Law (not in such a way as that we would try to adhere to it, but in the matter of what we can learn from it) that would cause our obedience to your commands to always be cheerful and not out of compulsion.
Pray for the protection and safety of Christians overseas as violence increases, even among countries allied with America. Pray for our policy advisors to encourage religious protection among human rights policies.
Violence against Christians is increasing among American allies. On Monday a Pakistani court has granted to six more Muslims accused of inciting and carrying out attacks against Christians in Gojra where 11 Christians were killed and over 60 Christian homes burned down. The district and sessions court of Toba Tek Singh city in Punjab province released Muhammad Adnan, Muhammad Ammar, Muhammad Safdar, Ali Raza, Javed-ur-Rehman and Amer Hayyat after each of them posted bail in the amount of 50,000 Pakistani Rupee (U.S. $600). This latest release came after 13 Muslims were granted bail by a Lahore high court on 7 September including radical clerics. In both the cases, they were tried for the violence against Christians on August 1, when a Muslim mob allegedly instigated by Islamic militants attacked Christian homes in Gojra in Punjab province. Eleven Christians were killed in the violence, more than 60 homes and two churches were burned down in the process. The court ruling has surprised the minority Christians in the country who makes up less than 3 percent of the 180 million population of Pakistan.
Grace and peace, friends!