“This knowledge [of our own sinfulness], though it strikes man with terror and overwhelms him with despair, is nevertheless necessary for us in order that, stripped of our own righteousness, cast down from confidence in our own power,deprived of all expectation of life, we may learn through the knowledge of our own poverty, misery and disgrace to prostrate ourselves before the Lord, and by the awareness of our own wickedness, powerlessness, and ruin may give all credit for holiness, power and salvation to him.”
John Calvin Calvin’s First Catechism, A Commentary
From Graced Again.
From Graced Again.
I was talking to a gal last night who was wondering about why God had put her in the circumstances of being single. She was confused about the expectations people had put upon her, what she thought were the expectations of God, and of course, the desire to be married and raise a family. We all have things in our lives in which we are not happy with, where our expectations have not been met, where we just want what we want and are not getting it. It is the same for all believers. We were not meant to have it all on this earth. We will always be struggling with something, for the above mentioned reason by John Calvin; dependence, seeing our powerlessness so that we will see God for who He is, and ourselves for who we are and depend on Him alone.
Part of our sanctification is the renewal of our mind.
Romans 12:1-2:
1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
God uses various circumstances to do that very thing, change our minds about that which the world tells us is right. God uses His Word in the light of our situation to show us just where our thinking is off base with His. This involves struggle; struggling with what we know to be true about God and that which screams at us everyday via, the media, the pundits, the siren songs of this world. We will never change or renew our minds if we do not face hard things. Those circumstances shows us the false props, the bad thinking, and the ways in which we are dependent on anything but Him. Which would be better, to live in dependence on God, or have just the right circumstances in life to make us dependent on the things the world counts as good? Believe me I say these things with fear and trembling, because I know I have false thinking, false understandings of things. I am struggling now with situations that are in my life that scream at me saying, "this was God's plan, does He really know what He is doing?" The things, circumstances, goodnesses, mercies that God has given me right now, are just that, mercies given to me by the God of all grace, and so are the circumstances that draw me deeper, and deeper into struggle with the Almighty. Pray with me today to be filled with a holy dependence not on the things or blessings that God has given, but the God Himself.
Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
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Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
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