Power in Weakness

Joshua Harris writes:

This morning I read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 in which Paul, after asking that his "thorn in the flesh" be removed, shares how God enabled him to boast in his weakness:

Read the whole thing.

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Blogging BCM: My Heart and Materialism

Last night Tim talked about my heart and materialism and once again I was deeply convicted and challenged. Tim said at one point that "materialism is fundamentally a focus on and trust in what we can touch and possess." He said later that we're either a slave to God or a slave to something of this world. How challenging was that for you? I know for me it hit pretty hard. So often we get caught in this rut where we focus on our own desires, needs, longings, problems and shortcomings that we forget to focus all of our attention and trust to our Heavenly Father. Today I want to look at the verses I read from Hebrews at the beginning of BCM last night and examine how they teach us to live our lives trusting in God and not the materialistic things of this fading world. Hebrews 13:5-6 says:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

The writer of Hebrews begins by saying keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have. So often we as college students focus on the tangible, the things that can be bought with money. We need the newest clothes, the newest movies, the newest books (OUCH!) and the most expensive food. For us it's about an experience. We want our young, college years to be an experience we will never forget. These are the last days we won't have to worry about real life finances and the things that are rapidly approaching upon walking across the stage to receive our degree. So what do we do? We love money. We love possessions. We love new things. We love expensive things. Why? Because we really don't have much to worry about. We are told in these verses though the complete opposite. To keep ourselves from the love of money and to be content with what we have. And why are we to do this?

Because He will never leave or forsake us. It is this part of the verses that explains that our love of money, our problem with not being content, is because we're worried about not having enough. The writer is telling us here that we have a trust problem. We fail to realize the full reality that Christ is there and will provide all our needs. So instead of trusting in Him, we trust in the tangible, earthly, materialistic things. We are told though that He is there, and thus are told that we have nothing to worry about. And what happens when we fully trust and realize the fact that because He will never leave or forsake us, we can be completely content?

We can confidently say “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” So often our materialism, our sinful desire to acquire more and more is a problem in our relation to others. We think that if we acquire more or if we have more money, others will like us and fail to see our brokenness. When we come to the realization that God will never leave nor forsake us, and thus fight against the love of money and start being content with what we have, we stop pleasing others. When we trust fully in our Father, we will realize that man cannot do anything to us. If we have the outlook of "what can man do to me?" we will no longer seek to be materialistic, but seek to glorify God in everything. Recall the verse I've shared in the past couple of posts. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

This applies to our possessions too. Whatever we do, whatever we buy, we do all to the glory of God. So when we buy clothes, are we buying to the Glory of God? When we go out to eat, are we doing it to God's glory? When we buy books, movies and whatever else, we must purchase to the glory of God. At the end of this series on our heart and these issues, we must come to the final realization that the problems that arise between our heart's desires and the things of this world are ultimately a glorification problem. Are we going to give glory to the things of this world are we going to give glory to whom all glory is due...God!

Questions to focus on in your own personal devotions:

1. Study Hebrews 13:5-6, Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 and 1 Corinthians 10:31 and mediate on how they relate to materialism and our heart's desires.

2. What things do you have a problem with getting in the way of you glorifying God the way you should?

3. Focus on the activities Tim gave for you to do throughout the week in relation to my heart and materialism.

As always, if you need anything and are struggling in any way, do not hesitate to come and speak to Tim or I. We are always available to listen and talk.

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Challies on Accountability

Tim Challies has a great post on accountability. He writes:

I am convinced there is great benefit in Christians pursuing accountability relationships, at least in some situations. It is valuable, I believe, for Christians to meet on a regular basis to confess sin, to speak of God’s grace, to share triumphs, to ask tough questions and to pray for one another.

Read more here.

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ESV Study Bible Online For Free!

The Online ESV Study Bible is being made available for free to everyone for a limited time throughout the month of March. This is a great tool with so many great features that I suggest you go check out for yourself. The Online Study Bible can be accessed here.

HT: JT

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Blogging BCM: My Heart and Music

Last night Tim continued his series on Worldliness and Christian Worldview with My Heart and Music. What I want to focus on today is digging deeper into the subject and realizing how we should go about choosing our music and the things we listen to. Once again, as with last weeks post, I really want to focus on 1 Corinthians 10:31. It reads:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

We must realize that whatever we do (whatever we listen to), we must do to the glory of God. We get so wrapped up in music most of the time that we forget that we are supposed to be listening to and using music to the glory of God. Bob Kauflin writes in Worldliness:

Music is meant to be a means of bringing glory to God, one more way in which we can "proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

For us to realize how we are to look at music, we must start by having a clear understanding that when we listen to and enjoy music, we must do so in a way that brings glory to God. So often we get set on the need for music to help with our emotions. We want to listen to soft, soothing music when we're depressed, sad or tired. We want to listen to heavy, fast music to pump us up. We listen to hard, blatant music when we're mad. How often do we think of music though in a way that we say, "I want to listen to this because I know that it will bring glory to God." We most often listen to music for our own enjoyment, rather than for God's enjoyment. A lot of times our music choices reveal the hypocritical, sinful nature that lies inside of us. Kauflin writes:

It's not uncommon for Christians on Sunday mornings to worship Jesus for his substitutionary death on the cross, then sing songs during the week that exalt the sins he died for.

How powerful is that? Is that you? I know so often it has been me. We get so wrapped up in the music that we want to listen to and so many times it's the music we want to listen to because it pleases our sinful hearts. Kauflin says:

Music, like all of God's gifts, is meant to draw our hearts and attention to his glory, his power, and his love.

Music is supposed to draw our hearts to God, not please our sinful nature. Music, like anything, is a battleground for temptation. Music has become a prime tool for Satan to use to draw our hearts away from God and into the sinful desires of this fallen world. We must resist his temptation and fight to make all of our musical choices in light of the knowledge that they are to bring glory to God. We must take the time to evaluate our musical choices and whether or not they truly bring glory to our Savior or bring glory to us and the sin that's inside.

Tim talked last night about the possibility of giving up music, getting rid of your music or making some serious music changes in your life. Kauflin writes regarding the possible need for such things:

Giving up, reducing, or changing your music diet may feel like a sacrifice. It might be. You may have to sacrifice looking cool to your friends to please your heavenly Father. You might have to sacrifice slavery to earthly appetites and pleasures so you can pursue and enjoy eternal ones. (Can we even call those sacrifices?)

But no sacrifice we make compares to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He redeemed us to purchase our forgiveness and to earn us a place among those who "no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised: (2 Corinthians 5:15).

That means music is no longer ours to use however we want. It never was. It was never meant to provide what can be found only in a relationship with the Savior. Music is a precious gift, but it makes a terrible god. By God's grace, may we always know the difference.

That's what I want to end with. Music so often is used by us as a god, one that pleases us rather than the Only True God. May we stop listening to music for our own needs and desires, and start using music as a way to only glorify God in everything we do.

Questions to focus on in your personal devotions:

1. Has music become to you something that pleases you and your sinful nature, or something you enjoy to the glory of God?

2. Take time this week to read through some of the Psalms and notice how they use music to the glory of God and praise in all walks of life.

3. Take this week to just listen to music that glorifies God. I know it may be hard, but is the Christian walk meant to be easy? Put away all of those secular music for a week and listen to some hymns, praise songs and other forms of music that do nothing but glorify God and Christ's death on the cross. Take the commute in your car as a form of worship instead of a time to please your sinful nature.

As always, if there's anything you ever need or want to talk about, Tim and I are always available.

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