I am going to open worship this evening at Apologia Church with this section from the Valley of Vision. It has been suggested by some who are prideful of their ignorance that the great doctrines of the free grace of God make men an elite class, make them proud and arrogant. Well, any truth can be misused, of course, but the reality is there are few teachings more destructive of pride than that of the doctrines of grace, for they teach us that there was nothing in us at all that drew God's grace, or made us to differ. We are not better than the man next door, we are not more spiritually insightful or intelligent. And so listen to this prayer and consider just how far from the reality is the rhetoric being posted today.
My Father,
I could never have sought my happiness in Thy love,
unless Thou had’st first loved me.
Thy Spirit has encouraged me by grace to seek Thee,
has made known to me Thy reconciliation in Jesus,
has taught me to believe it,
has helped me to take Thee for my God and portion.
May He grant me to grow in the knowledge and experience of Thy love,
and walk in it all the way to glory.
Blessed for ever be Thy fatherly affection,
which chose me to be one of Thy children by faith in Jesus:
I thank Thee for giving me the desire to live as such,
In Jesus, my brother, I have my new birth,
every restraining power,
every renewing grace.
It is by Thy Spirit I call Thee Father,
believe in Thee, love Thee;
Strengthen me inwardly for every purpose of my Christian life;
Let the Spirit continually reveal to me my interest in Christ,
and open to me the riches of Thy love in Him;
May He abide in me that I may know my union with Jesus,
and enter into constant fellowship with Him;
By the Spirit may I daily live to Thee,
rejoice in Thy love,
find it the same to me as to Thy Son,
and become rooted and grounded in it as a house on rock;
I know but little—
increase my knowledge of Thy love in Jesus,
keep me pressing forward for clearer discoveries of it,
so that I may find its eternal fullness;
Magnify Thy love to me according to its greatness,
and not according to my deserts or prayers,
and whatever increase Thou givest, let it draw out greater love to Thee.
From The Valley of Vision—A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust. 1975), p. 53.
Les & I have talked & I fully support this project & hope you will consider helping him make this come to fruition. He has both of my books on the topic and I would likely be part of his project. He only has 6 days left, so please prayerfully consider how this can advance the Kingdom of God 💪🏻⚔️
Check out Deceived: The Ruin of the Modern Woman by Les Lanphere on @Kickstarter https://t.co/XhVsDa6hf4
@JoeGarrisi_own I cannot find a Christian banking institution. Might be a good business for someone in the church to get into.
I opted to just go with a small locally owned bank, because I HATE chase with a righteous hatred!
Over 25,000 Lindsay Clancy fans have now raised over $835,000 after she admitted to murdering her three young children.
The GoFundMe account has been flooded with positive messages from her female supporters who are convinced she is the victim.
Mass psychosis.
@JoelWBerry Idk about Aldi (never been to one, there isn’t one even remotely near us) but there is NO WAY even this meal is less than 10 dollars at Walmart, Costco, or anywhere else.