repentance

  • “It is our truest happiness to live entirely for the glory of Christ.” (M’Cheyne)

    I’ve been reading through the “Memoir and Remains of R. M. M’Cheyne” by Andrew Bonar. I’ve already posted a couple times on the book at tent of meeting (see here and here). Some of you know how much I appreciated reading through “George Whitefield’s Journals” and how I look to Whitefield as an example and for inspiration (of course, knowing full well, that we need to take care not to idolize others nor to set ourselves up for a sense of inadequacy as we compare ourselves to others). I have to say this book and the life of M’Cheyne rank right up there with the Whitefield and the Journals.

    I’d like to bring a quote today from a letter M’Cheyne wrote to the Rev. Dan Edwards October 2, 1840:

    It is our truest happiness to live entirely for the glory of Christ—to separate between “I” and “the glory of Christ.” We are always saying, what have I done—was it my preaching—my sermon — my influence; whereas we should be asking, what hath God wrought? Strange mixed beings we are! How sweet it will be to drop our old man, and be pure as Christ is pure.

    I can’t help but note that M’Cheyne wrote this at age 27, and he lived for less than two and half years after this time.

    I confess I share M’Cheyne’s struggle. I so agree how sweet it will be to drop my old man and be pure as Christ is pure!

    I shake my head and wonder sometimes why God uses me (us). I find it dumbfounding and deeply humbling how God continues to use people like me (like us) even as I (we) struggle in these ways. Even as I (we) continue to have such mixed motives in ministry.

    I John 3:1  See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2  Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

    4  Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5  You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6  No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9  No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

    Holy Father, I am Your child because I have been united with Christ by grace through faith. Thank You for adopting me into Your family, though I was not worthy. Help me now to walk worthy of that calling. I have been united to Christ and given the Holy Spirit so I might live like Your blessed Son, who lived for a holy life to Your glory alone. O, that I might be able to separate between “I” and “the glory of Christ.” How we all continue to fight this temptation, but particularly as we seek to minister in Your Name. Thank You for the privilege You have given all of Your children to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. I confess how often I do not walk with purity in that calling. Forgive me, Holy Father. Cleanse me by the blood of the Lamb. Anytime I live for my own glory is a grave sin against You. To strive to lift myself up is an affront to You and Your glory, shows contempt for Christ’s life and blood given for mine, and it grieves Your Holy Spirit. Sanctify and strengthen me with Your resurrection power through Your indwelling Holy Spirit so I might not continue to seek my own glory but seek Your glory alone. Grant me abundant grace to purify myself as You are pure, to put off the old man and put on the new, to live for Christ and not my own lusts – all so You alone might receive all the praise, honor and glory in all I do. I know that my truest happiness is to live entirely for the glory of Christ! That is why when I begin to even desire a bit of the glory for myself, Your Holy Spirit begins to convict me of that and makes me miserable. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your continued promptings, for renewing my mind, for leading me into all truth so Jesus Christ might be lifted up. Help my heart to remain soft and pliable and my ears to continue to hear You speak to me. I know this is all impossible with me, but is possible with You! Be merciful and gracious to me for Jesus’ sake. Send me grace sufficient for my need as I seek to lift up Jesus Christ to Your glory alone. Amen.

  • More on love for the brethren (George Whitefield’s Journals)

    In a post last week I shared my struggle with loving my brothers and sisters in Christ. Then yesterday I posted some excerpts from Evan Roberts’ biography “Instrument of Revival” on love for the brethren. Today I’d like to post some words from “George Whitefield’s Journals” on the love and unity in the Body of Christ.


    Saturday, Feb. 25, 1738. … Oh, when will that come, when all differences about externals shall be taken away, and we all with one heart, and one mouth glorify our Lord Jesus Christ!     (132)

    Monday, Feb. 27, 1738. Went to the church, and did as yesterday; and was visited afterwards by two of the Nonconforming Society, who seemed to be Israelites indeed. I exhorted them to love and unity , and not to let a little difference about a few externals occasion any narrow-spiritedness to arise in their hearts. I advised them to come and hear me expound int he church, which they did; and providentially the Lesson was the 4th of the Ephesians, from whence I took occasion to urge on them the necessity of loving one another with a catholic disinterested love, to be of one heart and one mind, and to join without respect of persons in hastening the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope God gave a blessing to what was said, for I observed they came constantly afterwards, and was told there was a perfect harmony between them. What infinite mischief have needless divisions occasioned in the Christian world! Divide et impera, is the Devil’s motto. (133)

    Wednesday, April 18, 1739. Preached this morning with power to a much larger congregation than we had last night. Several servants of God said they never saw the like before. We shall see greater things than these; for almost every day persons of all denominations come unto me, telling how they intercede in my behalf. And it shall now be my particular business, wherever I go, to bring all the children of God, notwithstanding their differences, to rejoice together. How dare we not converse with those who have received the Holy Ghost as we? (253)

     

    Acts 10:44  While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45  And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46  For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47  “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 

     

    Now (We need this now, O Lord! Be merciful and gracious to us, for certainly You see how we struggle with loving one another and we have so often grieved you … We have seen how the devil delights to divide us and conquer! Yet  we know that You who dwell in us are greater than he who is in the world. May we sober and on the alert against the enemy’s crafty schemes so we might be more than conquerors and not end up as lion’s bait!) – Now, may You, the God of patience and endurance and the God of consolation and encouragement work in us through Your Holy Spirit (the one Spirit who breathed life into all us and united us in Christ, the one Spirit whom we share and who now dwells in us) so we might live in harmony with one another and be like-minded toward one toward another in accord with Christ Jesus: That we may be one, so together we may with one mind, one heart and one voice glorify You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we welcome one another as Christ Himself received us, to Your glory, O God. (For when we don’t welcome one another, we rob You of Your due glory.) Grant us patience and endurance, so we might be instruments of consolation and encouragement to one another so we might reflect Your gracious dealings with us in Jesus Christ. Amen.

     

    More on Whitefield and love and unity in the Church:

    Other related posts:

     

    Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

     

  • quick update/prayer requests – June 1, 2010

    Dear friends in Christ,

    I’ve found myself in the midst of writing another post on transparency and intimacy in our relationships within the Body of Christ as a follow-up to these:

    I’d appreciate your prayers for writing (as usual).

    However, as I’ve been working on this post, as sometimes happens, the Holy Spirit convicted me once more of my lack of love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. (Blogging for my own sanctification = Priceless. As has been said, if the preacher is not preaching the message first to himself, then what kind of effect can his message really have on his congregation, what kind of life will inhabit his words if the words haven’t broken him first?)

    How could I not be convicted when I found myself writing and then asking myself questions like these (I’m not actually sure these will make it to the final post or not…I’ve been changing it up a bit since I first wrote these, but haven’t gotten to editing this section of the post yet):

    When we don’t have such fellowship with our brothers and sisters who are in the light, can we say we are God’s beloved children?

    When we don’t have such fellowship with our brothers and sisters who are in the light, can we say we are walking in love toward them?

    When we don’t have such fellowship with our brothers and sisters who are in the light, can we say we are loving them as Christ loved us?

    When we don’t have such fellowship with our brothers and sisters who are in the light, can we say we are a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God?

    The Lord once again caught me in my impatience toward, lack of love for, and judgmental attitudes toward those in the Body who may not believe exactly the same as I do. I’m not talking about differences in essential doctrine. To tell you the truth, I’m pretty sure I’ve never met anyone who believes exactly the same as me on the nonessentials. Even though I highly value unity in the Body, I still keep tripping up and trying to remake people into my own image. Grrr! Make war against self! Make war against the lust to scheme and manipulate! Yes, I am so much a Jacob. *sigh*

    Sure, there are things I can pray for people that I believe they ought to be growing in, but I can’t be the Holy Spirit to them. And besides that, who’s to say my understanding is 100% correct. Please! Self-centered much?! All I know is that I’m to lift up Christ, to present the Word of God as the Spirit shows me and empowers me, and to do so in love (it’s not really the Spirit’s work if it’s not bathed in love, is it?!), to pray expectantly (yes, pray more!) and to be patient and to trust the Lord to work as He wills and not maneuver and usurp the Holy Spirit’s unique place in convicting, teaching and guiding His people into all truth – that’d be His truth, not my version of it.

    Once more I Corinthians 16:13-14 came to mind:

    13  Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14  Let all that you do be done in love. 

    Yes, we’re to be watchful, stand firm in the faith, and be strong…but along with that we’re to let all we do be done IN LOVE!

    Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner…I have a hard time loving like You loved me.

    I John 4:20  If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 

    Um, brain drain…there was something else I’d wanted to share here, I think, but I can’t remember it right now. Well, this is plenty, and this is plenty important.

    So, I guess this is my small step of obedience into a little more transparency. (Practice what you blog, or rather blog what you practice, right? Isn’t that part of what James was talking about ~ James 3…)

    Thank you for coming here to read. I thank and praise God for each of you and very much appreciate your prayers and your kind words and support. 

    If there are any ways I can be praying for you, please let me know.

    Yours in Christ, a sinner saved and sustained by His grace alone,

    Karen