In reference to my post on the Great Books below (for which I’m still awaiting an answer) I have decided that when my son asks if he can play a video game I will take him over to the bookshelf and ask him “Have you finished reading all of these yet? When you have then come talk to me about playing a video game.”
Archive for March 2007 – Page 4
2 Categories : humor, ponderings, ramblings, rants
The baby being discipline and the bath water being legalism. I don’t know when it happened. I remember a popular book in my college days called “The Pusuit of Holiness”. Sometime after that the popular book became “Grace Awakening”.
Subsequent to the advent of the grace awakening the suggestion to develop disciplines for the pursuit of holiness in the Christian life was met with the phrase “let’s not be legalistic”. A certain cynicism has set in with regard to any kind of structured religious habits. This has happened to the degree that we rarely see pastors encouraging their parishoners to discipline themselves unto godliness via the tried and true disciplines of prayer, meditation, fasting, study, etc.
Maybe I’m overstating the case… please point me to a broad evangelical call in this area if I’ve missed the boat.
The problem here is that it’s incorrect to describe a disciplined effort to put to death the deeds of the flesh with the label of legalism. We are required to make this effort by the scriptures. We are not procuring our justification by this effort. If we were then the term legalism would apply.
Unfortunately since the word legalism has such a pejorative tone it’s a useful word when one feels judged by the disciplined efforts of the community around them. Rather than being convicted that regular bible reading is a necessity for the believer who would fight the good fight tis much easier to cry “legalism” and make no effort to discipline oneself unto godliness.
Thoreau said “Thus men will lie on their backs talking about the fall of man and never make the effort to get up”. Now of course we know that first Christ by His grace must impute his righteousness to us and put us on our feet. From that point on because of our union with Christ we are to be putting to death the deeds of the flesh through the Spirit – if indeed the Spirit of Christ lives in you.- making a concerted effort to wage the good warfare against our sinful flesh.
Legalism No – Discipline, effort, striving against sin to the point of shedding of blood… we must… otherwise we are not what we claim to be.
2 Categories : piety, ponderings
In order to put bread on the table for my children I find myself employed in downtown Washington DC. That means I either need to drive into my place of work or take some form of mass transit. I have chosen to be sanctified through mass transit rather than the more demanding process of sanctification that is driving through the streets of our nations capitol.
So how’s it going?
Well today the battle with my corrupt flesh continued. My habit of late has been to strap on my IPOD from the time I get out of my car until I walk into my office door filling my mind with podcasts of John Piper sermons. Today as usual I was listening to a sermon while leaning forward with my head down so as not to be distracted. You need to know that I have battled with chronic allergies for 12 years – sinus surgery, shots, etc. which mean I have a chronic cough that resembles a desire to remove whatever obstruction is currently affecting my breathing (where’s that Ricola guy with my million dollars??) Apparently I coughed loudly enough to dsturb the woman sitting in front of me (I honestly don’t remember doing it) and she nudged me and pointed to her ears. Thinking my IPOD was too loud I said I would turn it down. She said it was my coughing in her ears. Her method for confronting me was not with a smile and a “I’m sorry would you mind…” but rather with a scowl on her face and a look that said …. well it just wasn’t very gracious.
I find that I’m always pleasantly eager to do for someone who has first been polite and cordial in their request whereas when the request comes from a self-righteous indignant scowling countenance I find a STRONG desire to resist.
I tried this morning to respond by doing what she asked. I sat up. I turned down my IPOD and I made an effort to cough no more until she actually exited the train. Inside however I was seething (all the time continuing to listen to Piper). I thought about all the things I wish I had said. I’d like to repeat them here even… but that would only make me continue in sin….may it never be…
So as I exited the train I realized that I have an expectation that when I respond kindly they will acknowlede my kindness and respond in kind. Rather than expecting to glorify God regardless of the other persons response I tie my obedience to how people react to it.
I’m repenting of this as I write…. I will need to be continually repenting of this.
May I live and do to please my Master though all the world scoff, ridicule, scorn, despise, abuse and malign.
0 Categories : piety, ponderings, ramblings
Search
Recent Posts
the Requiest
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved
Recent Comments