"Nor does the being hungry prove that we have bread."

 “It is not enough to want to get rid of one’s sins,” he said. “We also need to believe in the One who saves us from our sins. Not only do we need to recognize that we are sinners; we need to believe in a Savior who takes away sin. Matthew Arnold once wrote, ‘Nor does the being hungry prove that we have bread.’ Because we know we are sinners, it does not follow that we are saved.” 

 ~C.S. Lewis, Final Interview

The Stronghold of My Life

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Ps 27:1  (ESV)

Seasons. . .

I love how this picture sums up Spring: new life growing out of the old!

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up;4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance;5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away;7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;"  

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-7, ESV) 

More "real" life. . .

So I caught a really bad cold/flu thing the end of last week (all those report cards just did for me, I guess). I was out of commission all weekend and not in physical or mental shape to write anything. So once again I must apologize. Enjoy the following video from Guys and Dolls. :)

The Pantheon

Does someone want to take me on a trip to Rome? I've always dreamed of experiencing this building in person.

And this song (Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis) would be perfect to hear in this space. This has got to be one of my ultimate favourites and has been since I discovered it years ago. I was in Ottawa about a year ago and they had this as an installation piece in the Chapel in the National Gallery of Canada. Each of the 40 voices was piped through an individual speaker, so you could walk around the room and hear each voice individually: GORGEOUS!

I couldn't find the version by the Oxford Camerata that I like--this version is a bit fast for my taste. It's just over 2 minutes faster than my recording. 

The Dying Gaul

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Gaul

This statue captured my attention as a teenager and I still love it. I have always been intrigued by the realistic look of rather stunned pain --I've always wondered what kind of story this statue might tell if it came to life somehow.

The Dying Gladiator

(from "childe harold's pilgrimage")

I see before me the Gladiator lie:
He leans upon his hand - his manly brow
Consents to death, but conquers agony,
And his droop'd head sinks gradually low -
And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow
From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one,
Like the first of a thunder-shower; and now
The arena swims around him - he is gone,
Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hail'd the wretch who won.

He heard it, but he heeded not - his eyes
Were with his heart, and that was far away;
He reck'd not of the life he lost nor prize,
But where his rude hut by the Danube lay,
There were his young barbarians all at play,
There was their Dacian mother - he, their sire,
Butcher'd to make a Roman holiday -
All this rush'd with his blood - Shall he expire
And unavenged? - Arise! ye Goths, and glut your ire!


George Gordon Lord Byron . 1788-1824  

"Real" Life Interruption

So. . . I started out this blog nice and strong, with a few days of posts always scheduled to publish, but school and busy weekends happened and now I've run though my pre-scheduled posts and have been "reduced" to writing a post the night before. Anyway,  I've got report card comments to write this week (not to mention report card marking to do when it comes in), and I refuse to procrastinate. I want to get them done and off my plate as soon as possible. But that means that I don't have time right now to write blog posts for the rest of the week. At least not at this point.

So for the rest of the week I'll be sharing some more of my favourite music, books, pictures, poetry, etc. Feel free to share your favourites--I love to "meet" new art!

----
I love the way the Evelyn Glennie teaches us a new way to listen in the video below. It is a bit longer, but really worth the time. :)

Life on Hold?

The other day I placed a hold on a library book. I can only guess when I will actually get notice that it is ready for me. But unless something drastic happens, I can be pretty sure that I will eventually have my turn.

When I call the phone company and get put on hold (oh the irony!), I can be pretty sure that I will get through to a real person at some point.

I know that if I'm standing in the back of a seemingly endless grocery line, I will eventually be the last person in the cue.

Waiting is a fact of life. And most of the time we don't like that, let's face it. Waiting is not fun most of the time.

People talk about their life being "put on hold" by something unexpected that interferes with their plans.They had to put their vacation plans on hold because the car broke down. Or they say that their life was "put on hold" or "interrupted" by illness.

I don't think this is a theological correct way of thinking, however.

Everything that God gives us is His plan. What He has given us now is what is what He wants us to have. What we have now is His best.

Now we may not be feeling like this is the best--it definitely may not be what we want--but we have to trust that God knows what is best.

I think it is easy to act and talk as though God is holding out on us.

Singles are particularly prone to think this way. I may feel that I'm just flying in a holding pattern, waiting for Mr. Right, Prince Charming, "The ONE" to come along. But I cannot forget that God is not holding out on me--this is His best. This is the life that I need to live now.

Life is everything we encounter. As a character in Letters to Juliet points out, "Life is in the messy bits."

This doesn't mean that waiting is easy. It's not. There are countless Bible verses about waiting, asking "how long?"

One of my favourite verses is about this type of waiting:

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

(Proverbs 13:12 ESV)

I like how this verse is about "hope deferred," but yet there is the hope of "a desire fulfilled." It is the paradox of hope that you can't hope for something you have. 

When you really think about it, Christian life is about waiting. God's people have had to wait since the Fall. Hebrews 11 gives us a whole list of what it means to wait. We're waiting now: Maranatha! (1Cor 16: 22)

The great thing about waiting as a Christian is that we can be certain of God's faithfulness. We can trust in His goodness and grace and mercy and love. (His justice and . . . ) We can wait knowing that God holds us in His hand, that nothing happens to us without His will.

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 1

Q.1 What is your only comfort in life and death? 

A. That I am not my own, 1
but belong with body and soul,
both in life and in death, 2
to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. 3
He has fully paid for all my sins
with his precious blood, 4
and has set me free
from all the power of the devil. 5
He also preserves me in such a way 6
that without the will of my heavenly Father
not a hair can fall from my head; 7
indeed, all things must work together
for my salvation. 8
Therefore, by his Holy Spirit
he also assures me
of eternal life 9
and makes me heartily willing and ready
from now on to live for him. 10

1. 1 Cor 6:19, 20.
2. Rom 14:7-9.
3. 1 Cor 3:23; Tit 2:14.
4. 1 Pet 1:18, 19; 1 Jn 1:7; 2:2.
5. Jn 8:34-36; Heb 2:14, 15; 1 Jn 3:8.
6. Jn 6:39, 40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess 3:3; 1 Pet 1:5.
7. Mt 10:29-31; Lk 21:16-18.
8. Rom 8:28.
9. Rom 8:15, 16; 2 Cor 1:21, 22; 5:5; Eph 1:13, 14.
10. Rom 8:14.

"Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous."

(Psalm 25:3 ESV)

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!"

(Psalm 37:7 ESV)

"But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer."

(Psalm 38:15 ESV)

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;"

(Psalm 130:5 ESV)

Confessions of a Bibliophile. . .

Jane Austen and Tolkien get cozy. C.S. Lewis and Georgette Heyer rub shoulders. Lucy Maud Montgomery, C.J. Cherryh, and Agatha Christie have more than just a nodding acquaintance. Never mind the other odd pairings that happen from time to time. Shakespeare and Betty Neels? Believe me, though I blush to confess it, it has happened. My Greek textbooks often sit cheek by jowl with Mary Stewart, while books on literature, theology, music, nutrition, history, et cetera, et cetera, all share shelf (or floor) space. 

An eclectic bibliophile. . . yes, that most definitely I am.

If you saw my book shelves, you would know it. In no way, shape, or form do I have enough shelves to house all my books. Which is why I have piles of books stacked in front of those one the shelves, why the top of the dresser in my bedroom is piled with them, and why there are tottering towers on the floor around my bed and beside my computer, not to mention those strewn on the coffee table. And, confession time, I've got four plastic totes (the kind that are meant to slide under the bed) filled with paper backs that I don't read (as much) stacked in the closet and under my dresser--who needs room for hanging clothes anyway?

When, as a teenager, I discovered second-hand books could be bought for a song at local thrift stores, I was hooked. Therefore, when I moved and discovered second-hand books stores in the university town where I lived, I was already beyond hope.

However, I had begun my addiction to written word long before this. My mother has pictures! There is also that rather incriminating video of me lying on the pull-out couch while my brothers and sisters romp with my Opa, and I am reading, only stopping to complain when they nearly sit on my head!  

My family used to (still does?) talk about the smoke issuing from my ears as I snarfed (yes, that is a word) down my latest tome. 

You might well catch me reading some section of great dialogue out loud because it's just so funny I can't help myself. I might giggle or guffaw, then try to share my amusement with anyone who will listen. 

A particular recording or song maybe forever associated with this or that book because I listened to it when I read it for the first time. Or I might not even process any kind of sound, I'm so involved with the story. 

Oh, was someone calling my name? Sorry, I didn't hear; I was spending time with Valancy. Those dishes that should be washed or the laundry that needed to be folded? Frodo and Sam distracted me. . . or Anne Elliot or Venetia or one of hundreds of other book friends. Oops. Guilty as charged. 

I have to chose my reading material carefully at times, knowing that if I start that particular book now, I will be up until the wee hours of the morning--and I know that cannot happen since I have to teach the next day. So I save my snarfing till Friday night--if I can. Sometimes I get caught unawares by a book that started out slow, but then press ganged me into finishing it. (Against my will, of course!)

I've been trying to balance the many different types of reading I do, making sure to read more non-fiction to balance out the fiction. Only occasionally am I so mentally tired that I can't read anything. 

I find that I'm becoming less tolerant of bad writing. It used to be that if I started a book, I would finish it, even if I found it dull or poorly written. I've begun to realize I don't have time for books that annoy me. There are too many good books out there to warrant reading those that are sub-par. This is not to say that I don't enjoy a fluffy romance novel at times, but not one that irritates me beyond expressing.

I don't know how many books I've read in the past year, but I always have one with me in some shape or form. My new ereader or my iPod or a hard copy book is always with me to ensure that I never waste precious reading time, sitting somewhere with nothing to do. 

I find, however, that I need to be more diligent about Bible reading. Often, I catch myself reading a book about the Bible and realize that I'm not not actually reading the Bible itself. It is like reading a book about poetry, but not actually reading a poem--quite ridiculous! The academic knowledge becomes useless when it is not connected to the source of that knowledge. 

"for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV)

I don't want to be trapped into hewing out broken cisterns, instead of drinking from the living waters. Knowledge about God is nothing, if I do not know Him as well as I should. Knowledge about God will not save me: only knowing Jesus will. If I don't read the Word, I only have a second-hand relationship with God,  and I only know Him by hearsay. All the books in the world will do me no good, if I don't read His Book and know Him through it. 

"But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior." 

Hosea 13:4 (ESV)

"Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips." 

Prov 22:17-18 (ESV)

Don't be content with a second-hand relationship with Jesus. 

Read the Word to know the Word. 

"But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."  . . .I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me."

John 10: 2-4, 11

Working to be An Example

 "6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command:If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good." 

 (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, ESV)

Idleness doesn't just have to be physical idleness; it can be spiritual or mental idleness too. Idleness can be not exercising your brain by thinking about things, not exercising your heart and habits by striving for excellence. We can become complacent, no longer working to help ourselves fight against sin and its slothful habits. We can neglect to guard ourselves from our pet sins and vices, and the weeds of our bad habits can start to take over the garden before we realize it.

The video link I posted yesterday is an excellent reminder to continue to work towards being more Christ-like, following His example. 

Watch this! "Watch Me!"

Short but sweet today.

This is so worth 5 minutes of your time. Seriously. You need to watch this.

 Watch Me!

Video Description: Using audio from Don Carson, this short video challenges us from the Bible how we must be sharing our lives, opening up the Bible and changing generations as we point them to Jesus.  

Writing to Think

I always read non-fiction books with a pencil in hand. I find I think better and remember information more, if I underline, bracket, star, or write a short comment in the margin. I've done this for quite a while, but never really thought about how it helps me think until recently. And it gave me a "teaching" idea.

So I am starting a new activity in my Grade 9 English class: annotation. It is a great way to encourage students to think beyond the surface of a piece of writing and find a deeper and more personal connection with the text.

I have really begun thinking about the need for me to teach my students how to think. It is a difficult job, and one that does not happen without intentionally finding ways to foster this skill. I cannot just be teaching them the parts of a short story, or how a theme is explored through many different episodes in a novel, and I definitely cannot just expect them to regurgitate facts and information about Shakespeare and his  many plays. I cannot even merely explain to them how a story works and how a character is developed.

I have to be teaching them how to think about what they are learning. Can they find these connections on their own? Do they have the skills to analyze the story themselves?

When my students annotate a speech from The Merchant of Venice, they are not just coming to a deeper understanding of what the character is saying, but learning to think critically.

I've been thinking about this, and have come to the realization that this is one of the most important skills that I can teach. Annotating a story or a poem is the first step towards thinking deeper about everything that they read and hear and watch. I hope that this will help them to develop those habits of mind that will help them to think critically and carefully about the books they read, the movies they watch, the sermons they hear. This is a skill that will, I hope, help them to grow in their walk as Christians, as well as human beings.

"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

(Hebrews 5:14 ESV)

Peculiar Lights

"And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness." (Gen 1:4 ESV)  

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

(1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

The world is all about being different and setting yourself apart from other people in as many ways as you can: getting a tattoo, wearing a certain style of clothing, having a rare(r) brand of car, knowing certain facts, having a certain kind of degree. It is all about having something or being in some way "unique". The problem is that outer trappings will never truly set you apart from the crowd. 

As Christians we are anointed by God to be His peculiar people. The ESV translates this phrase in other places as His "treasured possession"; however, ever since I first heard this phrase when I was a little girl, it stuck with me as an appropriate way to talk about God's way of setting us apart for Himself. The LORD has chosen us for Himself.  The phrase "peculiar people" has  (at least to me) a deeper/wider meaning than "just" being treasured. To me it implies not only being chosen, but also set apart as radically different.

It is difficult to see ourselves as those around us in the world do. According to the common stereotypes, people tend to think of Christians as "those weirdos", as people who live their lives in a strange way, according to strange principles. We know that we are regular people who follow the example that Christ, the incarnate Son of God, has set for us.

We don't realize how different we are until we really and truly encounter the ugliness that is sin in the world. As Christians we often tend to live in our Christian "bubbles", associating with our Christian friends and not always having a real "clue" as to the depth of the bleak depravity so many people live in.

When we do encounter the world, we can be tempted to hide what we are. It makes us feel vulnerable to confess to others that we are peculiar. (And no, I don't mean quirky. :) )  We would rather pretend that we are just another person like them, trying to get along.

"It takes courage to switch on the light of the Holy Spirit and the gospel in our lives because it means revealing ourselves [to the world]. . . . Our light exposes the darkness around us." (Rev. Henry vanEssen, from sermon notes on Ps 23:5b, taken March 17, 2013)

If you have ever turned on a light in the pitch dark, felt the pupils of your eyes contracting in an almost painful way, and rushed to hide from the light under the blankets, you have experienced the way every sinner feels when their sin (our sin!) is exposed to the light of the true gospel of Christ. Our natural impulse is to hide from this light which exposes our sin. Just think of Adam and Eve in the garden after the Fall.

As Christians we are called to be lights in the world. We are called to expose sin in the way we live our lives. It is when we do not conform to the world around us, when we do not do what the world does, that we show what is hiding in the darkness.

What is shocking though is how we can pretend that we are not lights. When we don't show ourselves as Christians, we hide the hope of the gospel. Being in the light as Christians is not just about exposing the sin in the lives of the unsaved around us, but also about showing "the hope that is in us" (1 Pet 3:15).

We should remember that we were once like these. Even if we have been born and raised in Christian homes, in faithful families, we too were once separated by sin from God. Only the hope that is found in Jesus sets us apart from the rest of the world:  He chose us to be His peculiar people and washed us in His blood so that we do not need to hide from the light any longer. We can stand in the light in the confidence of His payment for our sin.

"[R]emember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility."

(Ephesians 2:12-14 ESV)

Don't let your fear of being thought peculiar stop you from switching on your light! Take pride in it--God chose you to be different!

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 5:14-16 ESV) 

"Easter Wings" -George Herbert 1633

The Resurrection --John Donne

The  Resurrection (No. 6 La Corona)

Moist with one drop of Thy blood, my dry soul

Shall—though she now be in extreme degree

Too stony hard, and yet too fleshly—be

Freed by that drop, from being starved, hard or foul,

And life by this death abled shall control

Death, whom Thy death slew; nor shall to me

Fear of first or last death bring misery,

If in Thy life-book  my name thou enroll.

Flesh in that long sleep is not putrified,

But made that there, of which, and for which it was;

Nor can by other means be glorified. 

May then sin’s sleep and death soon from me pass,

That waked from both, I again risen may

Salute the last and everlasting day

~John Donne

Were You There?

"So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, [17] and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. [18] There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them."

(John 19:16-18 ESV) 

Draw Me --Keith Green

Draw me, oh, draw me, please draw me, my Jesus.
Into your presence, where I cannot lie.
My soul is so thirsty, I cannot endure it.
And if I can't get closer, I surely will die.

Take me, oh take me, please take me, my Jesus.
Quickly, before I forget that I'm lost.
For so many times, my mind has deceived me,
That I really don't have to carry the cross.
That I really don't have to carry the cross.

I just need to know how to pray.
My wicked desires block the way,
Sometimes I have grieved you away,
I don't want to do that today.

Help me, oh help me, please help me my Jesus.
Save me from sins that I thought were all gone.
Kill me with kindness, and break through my blindness.
I know till I'm dead, I can never live on.
I know till I'm dead, I can never live on.

I just need to know how to pray.
My wicked desires block the way,
Sometimes I have grieved you away,
I don't want to do that today.

Draw me, oh draw me, please draw me my Jesus.

~Keith Green

Until that Final Day -- Keith Green

My flesh is tired of seeking God

But on my knees I'll stay

I want to be a pleasing child

Until that final day

My mind is full of many thoughts

That clutter and confuse

But standing firm, I will prevail

In faith that I'll be used

Amen, I'm asking once again

Won't You help me my friend

Lord Jesus

Holy Lord Spirit, set us free

From chains we cannot see

Come release us

I wrestle not with flesh and blood

My fight is with the one

Who lost the keys of hell and death

To God's most precious son

One sleepless night of anguished prayer

I triumphed over sin

One battle in the holy war

God's promised me to win

Amen, I'm asking once again

Won't You help me my friend

Lord Jesus

Holy Lord Spirit, set us free

From chains we cannot see

Come release us

My flesh is tired of seeking God

But on my knees I'll stay

I want to be a pleasing child

Until that final day

KEITH GREEN - UNTIL THAT FINAL DAY LYRICS 

Briers and Thorns

"For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. [8] But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."

(Hebrews 6:7-8 ESV)

The phrases "briers and thorns" and "thorns and thistles" are repeated often in reference to Israel's fruitlessness in the Old testament. 

Briers and thorns are an example of the fruitless crop that sin bears in our lives. They are worthless for us in terms of providing nutrients, they consistently grow exactly where we don't want them to grow, and they are notoriously difficult to eradicate. A shoot, a slip of root, a seed is left behind after we dig them out, and they grow back as strongly as ever. 

Their tenacious nature is really a result of humanity's fall into sin. When Adam and Eve fell in the garden of Eden, God cursed the ground because of their sin, declaring to Adam that 

"cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field."  

(Genesis 3:17b-18 ESV)

Adam's original command from God to work the earth and keep it (Gen 2:15) is still in effect, but he will do his task in pain from now on. It has become really a thankless task--there will never be respite from the battle against the weeds. 

So too is our battle against sin in our lives. We cannot eradicate the evil tendencies of our heart. We are redeemed, but as Paul points out in Romans 7, our old man is still putting forth thorns, thistles, and briers, despite our best intentions. 

The world and its seductive pleasures easy choke the seed of the gospel that is not carefully and painfully tended. If we given up pulling the weeds in our lives or slack off, only doing a weekly weeding, when we should be pulling them out daily, the gospel will end up being choked out in our lives. As Jesus says in the parable of the Sower: 

"Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them."

(Matthew 13:7 ESV)

"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

(Matthew 13:22 ESV)

We must be vigilant and keep fighting against our sin. 

"Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them."

Prov. 22:5

If we stop fighting the battle against sin, the weeds will take over and our defense against them will break down and fail. 

 "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, [31] and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down."

(Proverbs 24:30-31 ESV)   

However, thorns and thistles can also be a means of sending us back to God, as can been seen Hosea 2: 

[6] Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. [7] She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’

(Hosea 2:6-7 ESV)

The Lord hedges His harlot Bride in with thorns, forcing her to return to Him. He shows His steadfast love for His people, by punishing her for her sin, and yet He "allures" her into the wilderness where He will show her His love by giving her vineyards again (Hosea 2:14-15).

It is clear that briers and thorns are a direct consequence of God's judgement upon His rebellious people. In a passage written by Isaiah at the same time as the one written by Hosea, the prophet gives us the word of the Lord: 

[5:1] Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. [2] He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. [3] And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. [4] What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? [5] And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. [6] I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. [7] For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!

(Isaiah 5:1-7 ESV)

God is extremely patient with us, and as the Vinedresser He tends us, giving us the refining experiences which are meant to produce good fruit in us. However, as Isaiah shows us, God's justice must be satisfied as well. If His vineyard does not bear good fruit after all that He does for it, it will be given up to the Judgement.

Thorns and thistles are spreaders--almost impossible to eradicate. Except by fire, which will burn all the seed away. A drastic step will need to be taken: even if God's people repent of their sin against Him, they will still have to bear the consequences; if they don't repent, they will remain sterile forever and will end up burning for eternity.

If God's people do not bear good fruit, He will ensure that they bear a fruitless crop: as punishment (Isa 5:6). Also--if thorns and thistles are a result, it is also evident that the fruits of disobedience will be difficult to get rid of, like these plants. There are serious, long-term consequences for rebellion against God. We will always be vulnerable to our "pet" sins, despite the grace of God which allows us to fight against them. 

However, we have the victory in Christ Jesus, although we are still fighting the battle here until He returns again. Praise God! Our work is not in vain!

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

1 Cor 15: 57-58 

Workmanship

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

We are His workmanship. This makes it clear that we cannot do anything to save ourselves. Christ is the one who does the work to save us for Himself: He made us and we are His. We are His creatures, His creations. We were made, and, through His blood, we are remade for a purpose: "for good works." 

We are "worked" by Christ. An image comes to my mind of a farmer working the land: he plows it, breaking up the hardened soil, plowing under the weeds and revealing the fresh dirt, ready for planting. He tests the soil for its nutrient profile, then fertilizes it for the crop He wants it to grow. This field gets a bit extra of that nutrient, that patch gets more of this one, depending on the seed to be planted there. He irrigates this section, but leaves another section dry (the crop growing here does best with "dry feet"). He directs the rain to fall here (for He is God and, unlike human farmers, can command rain and wind and sunshine as He likes) and withholds it there. He watches over His crop, and when the time is right and the crop is fully mature, He gathers it in.

The field cannot do any of this for itself. It cannot plow, plant, rain, or harvest, but is subject to the farmer's will.

Of course, the metaphor breaks down at a certain point. The field in my picture is truly passive. You cannot accuse it of intentionally harbouring weeds. However, our old nature can harbour weeds and can even cultivate them, if we are not careful to root them out at every opportunity. We are undergardeners in the garden that is us. We are called to tend what God has given us, bearing good fruit, not thorns and thistles. We are not just to bear showy leaves like the fig tree in Matthew 21, but good fruit as well.

This is why Paul says that we have been "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). 

Walking implies action--we do not just sit back and watch our gardens grow weeds and briers, but rather we actively walk in the way that God has commanded, pulling the weeds and burning the briers, coming back again and again to hoe around the good plants, giving them room to flourish and allowing the access the the good nutrients that God has provided for them.

We have before us the grim warning of Isaiah 5: If the vineyard does not yield good fruit, it will be laid waste.  If God does not spare His covenant people of Israel, He will not spare us either. As Paul says,

"Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off." 

Romans 11:19-22

Thanks be to Christ who is the True Vine and who sustains us when we cannot sustain ourselves! 

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

John 15: 7-11

Stale Relationships or Living Faith?

Some time ago, I heard a sermon on Exodus 16 by Pastor Charles Price, about the Israelites and the gift of manna in the wilderness, entitled “Manna: the food that didn't satisfy.”

Price says that the manna given to the Israelites in the wilderness is “the picture of the freshness, of the supply everyday. You see you and I are not invited to live on stale relationships with Jesus Christ; we are intended to live on the basis of a fresh daily supply of life and strength and nourishment.”

This is why daily devotions are so important: We can't “live tomorrow or today on yesterday's supply” (Price).

You won't find a relationship with a friend, family member, or significant other fulfilling if you never communicate with them. The same is true for our relationship with God. Although He is always faithful, we will not feel the true power of our relationship with Him if we do not learn more about Him or communicate with Him through prayer.

“Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” 

Lamentation 3:22

“'His mercies are new every morning' . . . . God gives us today what we need today; He gives us tomorrow what we need tomorrow. He doesn't give us today what we need tomorrow.”

We also should not try to run ahead of God and spent time in anxious worry about tomorrow. Jesus warns of this tendency too, saying,

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

(Matthew 6:30-32 ESV)

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

(Matthew 6:34 ESV)

God wants us to keep us in a fresh relationship with with, resting in Him for all that we need. When we stay in this close relationship with Him, we will have the confidence to trust that He will daily fulfill both our physical needs and our spiritual needs.

The song in the video below really expresses this idea: God truly leads us step by step!

The Lord is My Light

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

(Psalm 27:1 ESV)

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;

when I fall, I shall rise;

when I sit in darkness,

the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8)

My God is a Pillar of Fire,

a light to His people, and

darkness to His enemies

as He was at the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:19-20)

“His lamp shines upon my head,

and by his light I walk through darkness” (Job 29:3)

“because the darkness is passing away

and the true light is already shining.” (1John 2:8b)

And He has promised that

my “life will be brighter than the noonday;

its darkness will be like the morning.” (Job 11:17)

Therefore I sing praises to Him in the night: (Ps 42:8)

“For it is you [Lord] who light my lamp;

the Lord my God lightens my darkness.” (Ps 18:28)

“For with [You] is the fountain of life:

in [Your] light shall we see light.” (Ps 36: 9)

"The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

Romans 13:12

"Music with her silver sound"

Where griping grief the heart would wound
And doleful dumps the mind oppress,
There music with her silver sound
Is wont with speed to give redress
Of troubled minds, for ev'ry sore,
Sweet music hath a salve in store.

In joy it makes our mirth abound,
In grief it cheers our heavy sprites,
The careful head relief hath found,
By music's pleasant sweet delights;
Our senses, what should I say more,
Are subject unto Music's law.

The gods by music have their praise,
The soul therein doth joy;
For as the Roman poets say,
In seas whom pirates would destroy,
A dolphin saved from death most sharp,
Arion playing on his harp.

O heavenly gift, that turns the mind,
Like as the stern doth rule the ship,
Of music whom the gods assigned,
To comfort man whom cares would nip,
Since thou both man and beast doth move,
What wise man then will thee reprove.  

~Richard Edwards

Who are your examples?

'What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.'

(Philippians 4:9 ESV)

Who are your examples?

I don't mean just your role models, those people you look up to and admire, but who do you actually imitate in your daily walk? 

Do you imitate those people in your life who seem to have it all together? Do you try to be like that pastor whose blog you follow? What about that motivational speaker who demonstrates such godly characteristics in her speaking and writing? Do you value her humility? Honesty? Spiritual strength? Do you appreciate his knowledge of spiritual things? Or his freedom to participate in a wider cultural context than the people that sit around you in church? Do you admire her boldness in speaking her mind, even when she might have done so with more tact? 

What character traits do you admire and try to cultivate? Or do you just look and think "I'll never be _______ like that"? 

Who do you associate with? Whose minds and actions are you learning, receiving, hearing, and seeing? 

Are you aware of all the examples that impact you on a daily basis? The people you spend the most time with are the ones most likely to impact your daily walk and your character.

The people you live with and encounter on a daily basis are not the only examples before you. The characters in that movie or TV show? Examples. The characters in the fiction book you just read? Examples. The author of that magazine article? The author of that non-fiction book? The people in that funny/not-so-funny commercial? All of them are your examples. 

Who (fictional or non-fictional) are you spending time with? Are they truly admirable? Do they demonstrate Christian virtues? Courage, honesty, humility, patience, prudence, self-restraint, diligence, love, etc.

Or are they examples of what not to do? How are these no-so-lovely characters presented? Are they portrayed as admirable? Are they the hero/anti-hero? Are you aware of the influence these characters have on how you live your own life? 

Maybe you don't follow a specific example. Maybe you follow the example of what you think you should be. But perhaps that "should-be" isn't God's plan for you, and yet you try to follow it anyway, because that is what the people (fictional or non-fictional) you "hang out with" tell you you should be. Maybe you don't even realize that you are following this example--you've never thought about it or questioned it--but you blindly try to conform to it anyway. Maybe it has even become something you covet.

Just something to think about:

Who are your examples? 

Knowledge vs Wisdom

 "There is a huge difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is an accurate understanding of truth. Wisdom is understanding and living in light of how that truth applies to the situations and relationships of your daily life. Knowledge is an exercise of your brain. Wisdom is the commitment of your heart that leads to transformation of your life."

Paul David Tripp ~ Dangerous Calling

"Wisdom is the commitment of your heart that leads to transformation of your life."

This is quite an amazing sentence. And one that can only be truly true when I have been saved by Jesus Christ's redeeming sacrifice--only this seemingly foolish thing can bring me the hope of being wise.

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;"

(1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV)

Knowledge on its own is not enough--it must be used correctly. Knowledge is the flame; wisdom is the light. If you keep staring at the flame of the candle, you will end up unable to see in the dark. If you just focus on theological knowledge--the information, the facts--you will end up being blind to the beauty and mystery of the gospel.

"that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

(Colossians 2:2-3 ESV)

Knowledge is the flame; wisdom is the light.

Trusting AND Trying

"[W]hen it comes to growth in godliness, trusting does not put an end to trying" (91). The Hole in Our Holiness ~ Kevin deYoung

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness."

(Psalm 37:3 ESV)

There is no resting on your laurels in the kingdom of God. There is no time behind the lines, no leave from the war--we're always in the trenches.

The Christian life is more of a Sisyphean endeavour--when we think we are getting somewhere, we are closer to falling than we would like to admit. That boulder of pride (or false humility) or anger (or repressed rage) or fear (or false confidence). . . the moment we think we have it conquered is the moment it slides back down the hill.


"So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand."

(Romans 7:21 ESV) 

Thank God for His grace. We don't have to do it ourselves.

However, we are still supposed to keep trying. We are to trust that our efforts to grow in godliness are of benefit and blessed by the Holy Spirit. 

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

It is how we confirm our calling and election (2 Peter 1: 9). And because we are not saved by our works, we don't have to fear our failure.

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [36] As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

(Romans 8:31-37 ESV)

[3] His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. [5] For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. [8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. [10] Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. [11] For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 1:3-11 ESV)