Suffering to Worship

Again, Mark Driscoll serves up a thoughtful sermon on suffering. Suffering to Worship offers many insights on 1 Peter 4:12-19 that we should not miss. The video and notes are found here. Take advantage and learn now what you can about suffering. Develop a "theology of suffering," as Don Carson so aptly refers to it, before suffering in what ever form strikes. Learn what the Lord could and is doing for you. Suffering is never wasted. Learn from it.

How To Profit From Sickness Direct. IV

Direct IV. When affliction calleth you to the use and exercise of your graces, you have a great help to be better acquainted with the strength or weakness of them. When you are called so loudly to the use of faith, and love, and patience, and heavenly-mindedness, you may better know what measure of every one of these you have, than you could when you had no such help. Mark therefore what your hearts prove in the trial, and what each grace doth show itself to be in the exercise. (Taken from A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter.)

What I Sometimes Get From Drinking Coffee

I have this coffee mug you see, that has Scripture verses all over it. It was gift from my Mom several years ago. Not long ago I suddenly realized that I ought to read it and not just drink from it. After all, that's why the verses are there - to remind me of what I should be doing, praying. Well, praying and ruminating on the verses. Here they are in no special order as they are all equally a blessing.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24-26

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:8

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

How to Profit From Sickness III

Direct. III There is many a deep corruption in the heart, which affliction openeth and discovereth, which deceitfulness hid, in the time of prosperity; and the detecting of these is no small benefit to the soul. When you come to part with wealth and honor, you shall better know how much you loved them, than you could before. Mark therefore what corruptions appear in you affliction, and how the heart discloseth its deceits, that you may know what to repent of and reform. (Taken from A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter.)

Suffering to Serve

Link to the Mars Hill blog here for Pastor Mark Driscoll's sermon on Suffering to Serve from 1 Peter 4:1-11. You'll also find the notes for the sermon and other good info as well. Be blessed.

S.D.G.

Calvin on Prayer

No one could have said it any better than John Calvin:

To prayer, then, are we indebted for penetrating to those riches which are treasured up for us with our heavenly Father. For there is a kind of intercourse between God and men, by which, having entered the upper sanctuary, they appear before Him and appeal to his promises, that when necessity requires they may learn by experiences that what they believed merely on the authority of his word was not in vain. Accordingly, we see that nothing is set before us as an object of expectation from the Lord which we are not enjoined to ask of Him in prayer, so true it is that prayer digs up those treasures which the Gospel of our Lord discovers to the eye of faith. The necessity and utility of this exercise of prayer no words can sufficiently express. Assuredly it is not without cause our heavenly Father declares that our only safety is in calling upon his name, since by it we invoke the presence of his providence to watch over our interests, of his power to sustain us when weak and almost fainting, of his goodness to receive us into favour, though miserably loaded with sin; in fine, call upon him to manifest himself to us in all his perfections. Hence, admirable peace and tranquillity are given to our consciences; for the straits by which we were pressed being laid before the Lord, we rest fully satisfied with the assurance that none of our evils are unknown to him, and that he is both able and willing to make the best provision for us. (Taken from Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits Derived from It.)

How to Profit from Sickness Direct. II

Let's look at Richard Baxter's next direction on how to profit from sickness. Keep in mind that we can replace the word sickness with trial, suffering, loss, pain, affliction. It all works here and God uses each situation in our lives to bring about his purposes.

Direct. II. If in the review of your lives, you find out those sins which before you overlooked, or perceive the greatness of those sins which before you accounted small, the benefit may be very great; for it helps to a more deep and sound repentance, and to a stronger resolution against all sins, if you recover. And affliction is a very great help to us in this: many a man hath been ashamed and deeply humbled for that same sin, when sickness did awake him, which he could make his play-fellow before, as it there had been neither hurt nor danger in it.

More Thoughts on Meditation from Spurgeon

Remember that souls grow more by meditation than by anything else.

and....

Meditation is the soul of religion.

Faith Upholds our Lives in Affliction

The Banner of Truth Trust has published these great little, Pocket Puritans books. They're certainly small but brimming with theological meat. One of the small books is Samuel Ward's Living Faith and its no different - its just packed with spiritual assistance and comfort. Take the following as an example, Faith tackles great obstacles. Small boats do well in calm conditions, ordinary men can stand up to a light breeze, but when a heavy tempest blows, and wave after wave crashes in, nature yields, spirits faint, hearts fail. To stand up against such storms and to live and reign is the work of faith, which has the Word as its compass, and Christ at the helm. The greatest adversities are but the exercise and lustre of faith. Men glory when they can tame tigers and lions, make the elephant bow to them, and bear to follow them. But what a small conquest is that compared with faith when it makes shame, poverty, sickness, persecution, banishment, yea, death itself, to be not only not dreadful, but manageable and bearable. A Christian has great advantage because of his faith. His only defect is lack of skill or a failure to use the shield of faith when a dart comes suddenly at him. Therefore when a storm rises, immediately run and awaken your sleeping faith. (Pgs. 43-44)

What exceptional observations and advice. Let us engage our faith when trials hit and take comfort that our Lord is watching over us.

How to Profit from Sickness

It seems so unlikely that we can profit from sickness and yet we see in Scripture that our Lord often works in the exact opposite way from the manner in which we think and reason. And so Richard Baxter enlightens us in his Christian Directory about this in the section, Directions how to Profit by our Sickness:

Direct. 1. If you hear God's call to a closer trial of your your hearts, concerning the sincerity of your conversion, and thereby are brought to a more exact examination, and come to a truer acquaintance with your state, (be it good or bad,) the benefit may be exceeding great. For if it be good you may be much comforted, and confirmed, and fitted to give thanks and praise to God; and if it be bad you may be awakened speedily to look to about you, and seek for recovery.