On Lending Books

I pulled a book from the bookshelf today that was lent to me over fifty years ago. No, it's not one that I forgot to return, although I've done that upon occasion (and have lost a few myself the same way). This book is dear to me because it was lent when I was a relatively new believer in my late teens. I didn't ask to borrow it, but the person who lent it knew I needed it, and so offered it to me.

I was eager to read its pages as I began to study the Scriptures with more than a cursory reading. I still pull it off the shelf occasionally when I read through the gospel of John, which is the title of the book from the bookshelf--The Gospel of John by Henry A. Ironside. It's a collection of sermons that he preached as pastor of Moody Memorial Church of Chicago, first published in 1942 during World War II. As he says in the preface, it isn't a scholarly book but, rather, meant for the masses who came to hear him preach or listened over the radio. Difficult times send people searching for the truth.

This book is not only dear to me because it was the first commentary sort of book that I had read, but it was lent to me by My Beloved's father who passed from this life to his heavenly one twenty-one years ago this month. We were the recipients of the books from his bookshelf that he used in preparation for the adult Sunday School class that he taught for many years.

Each time I hold this 1956 edition in my hands, I'm reminded of the importance of speaking into the lives of fellow Christians by lending our books to them, even if they haven't asked. Or better, by buying them a copy and giving it to them so they can ponder its pages without the time pressure of returning it. They may not read it, but then again, they might. I gave such a book to a new friend who had just become a widow. She then purchased 25 copies to give away herself!

Whether they're young believers or those who have walked with the Lord for several years, or even fifty years, it's a way of encouraging one another to spiritual growth and understanding. A book can also be a tremendous comfort in time of emotional need.

Oh, and I did return the book to my not-then father-in-law. Little did I know then that I would marry his son and would pull the book from our own bookcase fifty years later.

To Endless Years the Same

Before the hills in order stood

or earth received its frame,

from everlasting Thou art God,

to endless years the same.

-Isaac Watts, 1719
from O God, Our Help in Ages Past

 Image~Pixabay 

The Need to Be Alert

Writing briefly as I think through a point on spiritual warfare from a lecture in reference to the three sources of temptation--the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

Although Satan with his demons and evil spirits is, indeed, a great force of deceit to be reckoned with, he is too often seen as the cause of our sin (sometimes our own blame-shifting maneuver), but our flesh is often our own worst enemy. 

Satan isn't the only one that is deceitful. Our own heart is deceitful; who can know it? And certainly the world's system is deceitful and beguiling, so we face deception from all vantage points. 

Which is why we must be alert and gain wisdom and discernment of good and evil through the diligence of studying God's Word, with dependence on the Holy Spirit to teach us all things.

Don't Sell It Short--Immediate or Extended

"The family is wonderful, but unless we understand the family in the context of the triune God who is magnifying and manifesting His glory in the world and painting the picture of it through this union that we call the family, then we are selling it short and we are not seeing it for what it really is and we are limiting our capacity to enjoy it and our capacity to glorify God through it as well."

- Voddie Baucham 

 Grace Quotes Personal Interview, 2016

Logic on Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones

I put aside the books this evening to watch Logic on Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, and I highly recommend it to you. The documentary chronicles how Lloyd-Jones came to faith, his transition from the medical field to theology and the pastorate at Westminster Chapel in London.

His emphasis on keeping Christ central in the church is a much needed admonition even today. It tells the story of how he impacted those who sat under his preaching as well as the influence he has had on many who were interviewed for the filming, some who knew him personally.

Lloyd-Jones is shown as a caring pastor as well as a beloved father and grandfather, with interviews with his daughters and grandchildren as they talk about his home life and his personal, familial side.

When his younger daughter Ann married, they all bought a big house together and lived there until he died. Martin and his wife Bethan (who was also a doctor) helped with the grandchildren as they were growing up. In return, Ann helped care for her parents when they grew older. A sweet story of family love and care. So unlike today as many evangelical pastors preach to "hate your father and mother and children" so you can serve God alone. To Martin Lloyd-Jones, his family was part of his ministry and he served God by serving them as well as his congregants. Not one or the other, but both and.

We watched Logic on Fire on Amazon Prime, or you can purchase the DVD. If you click on the image, it will take you there. Or you can go to the Logic on Fire homepage where you can watch a couple of trailers and read about some of the contributors to the documentary who sat under Dr. Lloyd-Jones ministry or whose ministries have been influenced by him, as well as some extra interview coverage.

Then Go Rescue and Restore

Sharing some thoughts from my quiet time today.

"He who is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone." Or, as I sometimes say, "I'd be the last one qualified to accuse someone of forgetting to ____," meaning that as forgetful as I am, I certainly have no grounds to stand in judgement of another's forgetfulness. But there's more to these words of Jesus than my ready remark.

I think that as Christians we often take this verse from the passage in John 8 and give it a broad sweep that goes far beyond its context. We are too often reticent to speak up about sin in each other's lives. We've come to believe that we're hypocritical if we do, that we have no qualification or right to do so because "we're all sinners saved by grace," and that "but by the grace of God there go I." All of which can be true, but not necessarily.
 
As I was reading John 8:1-12 today (the passage of the woman caught in adultery), Jesus' writing on the ground arrested my attention. As the passage tells us, the scribes and Pharisees brought the woman as a trap for Jesus, another one of their schemes for gaining grounds to accuse Him. No one in our day knows exactly what He was writing, but it apparently meant something to the scribes and Pharisees, which is why they all turned and left one by one. Some suggest that He may have been writing something about them personally, or at least something that they recognized as exposing them in something just as sinful or illegal. This was probably the case.

They had failed to take into account that having caught the woman "in the act" meant that they had also caught her partner "in the act" as well. The scribes and the Pharisees were guilty of breaking the law themselves (Lev. 10:0; Deut. 22:22) because they let the man go.

Perhaps Jesus had written that requirement of the law on the ground, and they knew that if they pushed the issue, it would be turned on their own heads.  He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her (8:7). They were all guilty, and they knew it. That meant something to them.

This passage is often used to disarm someone who is about to speak in regard to someone else's sin, meaning that those who have no sin of their own are the only ones qualified to speak into a sinful situation. That, of course, should shut all of our mouths, which is often the intent. But we cannot take this verse out of its context and apply it as a general axiom to anyone who needs to call someone out in regard to their sin.

One of the results of this kind of thinking is that we're not admonishing one another toward righteous living. We see the results of that in our churches today. Most people in the general culture have no moral code governing their lives, and Christians often live as if we don't either. But Jesus calls us to moral as well as faith living. We're letting each other go down our own sinful paths, when what we really need is rescue.

Yet as we do so, we also need to bring Matthew 7:5 to bear upon our admonition: "First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." We cannot be blinded by our own sin, cannot be biased by our own sinful ways, cannot be self-righteous.

Some will bring up Matthew 7:1--"Do not judge so that you will not be judged...." Typically the recitation ends there, but the next verse says, "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." We don't want anyone else to judge us, so we recalibrate and look away. It's not that we have no right to judge anyone, but that we need to be careful in doing so. As John 7:24 tells us, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

My takeaway: Don't pick out fragments of verses and hide behind them to avoid involvement. Get the facts of the matter straight first and be sure I know biblically and can explain why I'm judging as I am. Then go rescue and restore with grace and kindness.

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

 ~ Fanny Crosby

Image ~ Gabriel Schachinger, 1886

public domain via WikiMedia Commons

How Do We See It?

If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. It is we, of course, to whom things look 'little' or 'big'. 

–Elisabeth Elliot

Image via Pixabay

 

 

Weekend Daybook

My Weekend Daybook is intended to offer brief glimpses of my simple life, thinking that my dear grandchildren may one day be interested in knowing little tidbits about Nana.


Outside My Window...
A mother out for an early morning walk with her little baby and big black labrador retriever. In the summer her other two children walk with her. She walks each morning. I offer a prayer for her little family and their unfolding day.







Noticing the sound of...
David Tolk's CD, In Reverence, playing on Spotify as I write. Peaceful instrumental music with piano, acoustic guitar, string quartet, oboe. Collection of inspirational hymns and original compositions.



Looking forward to...
My nephew's wedding next weekend in a little country church. It's been awhile since we've attended a wedding after our move here. I miss going to the weddings of children of longtime friends after being a part of their growing up years. Weddings are becoming more special to me because fewer couples are committing to marriage in these darkening days.

Thankful...
That Joseph and Stephanie have chosen to begin their marriage with their wedding ceremony in the church. Such a fitting beginning to a lifetime together.

Thinking...
That I don't understand how New York can celebrate killing a baby growing in the mother. It's, indeed, A Dark Day in New York State. How did New York and much of America get to this diabolical point? As Richard Phillips writes, it's the consequence of ideas.

"One essential answer is that attitudes and behaviors are formed from ideas. And behind the gleeful celebration of the slaughter of pre-born babies is the idea that there is no God. The chief doctrine of secular humanism - embedded in the very expression - is that life does not originate as the creation of a personal and moral deity. The consequence of this denial of God is not only the rebellious egocentricity by which men and women would terminate their own children for the sake of convenience but also the loss of the very idea of humanity.... As we witness the brutalization of our culture and tearfully wonder how our fellow citizens can celebrate such slaughter, the Christian response must include a commitment to speak truth fearlessly from God's Word."

Brought a smile...
Two little twins about 18 months old in the booth next to us as we were at our favorite pizza place last evening. Brother and sister, with a new bundle of joy waiting in their mommy's belly soon to join them. Brother and I exchanged greetings over My Beloved's shoulder. They seemed to me like a precious little family with much joy ahead of them.

In the Sewing Room...
Finished Anna's dress from the fabric she chose and added tulle as a border. Six-year-old Anna loves fancies. She likes to use my scarves as dress-ups when she comes to visit. :-)




Around the house...
He will cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you will find refuge.
Psalm 91:1


Learning...
Biblical hermeneutics as I read in preparation for the upcomimg class. Most of it is new to me, so I have to stay focused.
(on my bookshelf) ...



Reading...
Biblical Hermeneutics by Corley, Lemke and Lovejoy
Required reading for the class.


Interesting so far, and I'm learning much in its 400+ pages. In our SS class last week, the question was posed as to why most of us don't study the Old Testament as much as we do the NT. My thought was that we are no longer under law but under grace. However, the following clarification is percolating now in my thoughts.

Some have suggested that we should view the Old Testament as a book of law and the New Testament as a book of grace. However, such a characterization is a gross misrepresentation of the nature of the testaments. In reality, the Old Testament has a great deal to say about God's grace, and the New Testament is very concerned that the followers of Christ keep his law. Part of the misunderstanding comes from the fact that Judaism in the days of the New Testament had perverted the law. The Jewish legalism which Paul speaks against in Romans and Galatians is a corruption of the notion of law presented in the Old Testament. 

The Old Testament never construes the law as a means of establishing a relationship with the Lord or of achieving "salvation." The passages in Exodus which introduce the Sinaitic covenant make it clear that the law was based on the grace which God had already expressed to Israel.

.... The law communicated God's will for his people, and as such was a great act of divine grace.... As we attempt to interpret specific Old Testament laws, it is essential that we not lose the "big picture" provided by this canonical perspective. The basis of every law was divine grace, and the goal of every law was relational.

-from Biblical Hermeneutics in chapter 17 on "Interpreting the Law" by Robert R. Ellis

Not in The Least Bit Inconsequential

Recently, Tim Challies has been calling for bloggers to continue their personal blogs or to pick up and try again if they've given up. He posted some comments today from readers with their reasons for continuing, or having given up, why they were drawn back to it. While many of the comments are from those who blog on ministry sites, Challies encourages all of us to write for the sake of the gospel.

I'm one of those who started for a year, gave up for several years, then began again a few years ago. Sometimes consistently. Most often not. One of the reasons for inconsistency or even giving up is that writing is work and takes time. Words do not come easily to me, although thoughts are constantly bouncing around in my head. I don't always have the time to sit and focus on those thoughts, to bring them from my mind through my fingertips onto the keyboard in coherent discourse. It's definitely a discipline much like exercise and too often left unattended.

Adding to the time issue is the feeling that there are many other bloggers out there saying things in a much more compelling way than I possibly could. Their experiences seem so much more alive and interesting than my own. Yet, I know, too, that what is familiar and perhaps mundane to ourselves can be new and interesting to others. Perhaps it's the turn of words, the slight nuance that helps someone see things in a slightly different light, or the connection of one's life to another's experience.

My thoughts may be simple, but I've been reminded that if anyone is reached with the truth of the gospel, if anyone is encouraged by thoughts that are eventually formed into sentences and paragraphs with gospel meaning, then I have at least had a small (but never insignificant) part in encouraging the call to Kingdom life.

And that is not in the least bit inconsequential.

Exegetical Fallacies, A Brief Review

D.A. Carson's book, Exegetical Fallacies (2005 ed.), exposes word-study fallacies, grammatical fallacies, logical fallacies, presuppositional and historical fallacies that often lurk in exegetical sermons and writing. The purpose of the book is to enable the student of the Word to identify, avoid, and correct such fallacies.

It was a challenging read because I found myself in the dictionary page after page. The book is required reading for a hermeneutics class, so I couldn't just skip over words when the context didn't enlighten me as to possible meaning. In order to write the paper, I needed to thoroughly understand its contents. So it was a pretty slow trudge.

I understand now why pastors engage in devotional reading beyond their study for a sermon. Carson encourages distanciation coupled with caution. Distanciation is defined as: to establish or create a mental or emotional distance. This approach tends to detach us from spiritual interaction with the passage being studied and could be why many scholarly theologians lose sight of their faith. Study can become cerebral with little actual engagement. As Carson states, "It is difficult and sometimes costly."

In realizing the far-reaching impact of fallacies, one could become overly self-critical and discouraged in attempting an exegesis of any passage, becoming concerned with leading listeners or readers into error. However, gaining more awareness and skill is intended to benefit, not harm. Mindfulness should be the approach.

Strengths of the book would be that it presents a vast array of fallacies to be considered so that students of the Bible can handle it more accurately. The book is arranged in such a way that it is easy to locate a type of fallacy according to category: word-study, grammatical, logical, presuppositional, historical. One could run thoughts about a passage through the grid of listed fallacies.

Weaknesses would include the lack of giving definition to many of the terms used throughout the book. Reading was often interrupted by the need to understand what a word meant to the context. If the book had not been required reading, I would have laid it aside early on.

Another weakness is the apparent tone in which the author writes (although I realize that without emojis perceived tone in written work is often surmised). I, personally, found the tone to be rather haughty as he points out examples of fallacies from the works of other authors, pastors, scholars, etc.. The impression I was left with is that Carson considers himself the authority, that these other people are in error, and that caution should be taken in reading their works. This set a negative response reaction in my mind as I read. Far better, in my opinion, would have been examples of fallacies without such negative references.

Nevertheless, Exegetical Fallacies brings to light common fallacies of exegesis and is a ready reference. Carson urges diligence in studying and interpreting the Scriptures. He introduces the book with the hope that the reader will aspire to more correctly interpret the Word of God.