Augustine on Christmas

One church father named Augustine spoke such eloquent words about the glory of this time of year:

"The Maker of man became man that He, Ruler of the stars, might be [weaned as an infant]; that He, the Bread, might be hungry; that He, the Fountain, might thirst; that He, the Light, might sleep; that He, the Way, might be wearied by the journey; that He, the Truth, might be accused by false witnesses; that He, the Judge of the living and the dead, might be brought to trial by a mortal judge; that He, Justice, might be condemned by the unjust; that He, Discipline, might be scourged with whips; that He, the Foundation, might be suspended upon a cross; . . . that [He, the] Life might die."

One Thing

Our Winter Camp topic this year is "One Thing." Consider for a moment:

What is the one thing you seek in life?
What is the one thing you desire above all others?
What is the one thing you are after?
What is the one thing you won't stop until you get?
What is the one thing that controls your affections?
What is the one thing you feel most passionately about?
What is the one thing that gives you satisfaction?
What is the one thing that completes you?
What is the one thing you believe is worth dying for?
What is the one thing that defines who you are?
What is the one thing you speak most about?
What is the one thing that brings you the most joy?
What is the one thing you think most about?
What is the one thing you treasure above all else?
What is the one thing you want to experience?
What is the one thing you are most concerned about in life?
What is the one thing for which you live your life?
What is the one thing you hope will come after this life?
What is the one thing you desire most for others to know?
What is the one thing that you want to see?
What is the one thing that drives you each day?
What is the one thing you would receive from the Lord?
What is that one thing?

Our answers to questions like these may range from things as small as our new smartphone to things as seismic as the God of Creation Himself. That is because the human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9). No man can know his heart like the Lord (17:10). And there is no more important thing to guard than the heart (Prov 4:23). Above all other commandments, we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37). So questions like these above can tell us a lot about where our heart is, where it has been, what it is after, what it prizes, what it protects, what it desires, what it seeks.

This winter, the College and Career groups will spend precious time pouring over one verse:

Psalms 27:4    One thing have I asked of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

that I may  dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon  the beauty of the LORD

and to inquire  in his temple. 

Lord willing, our generation of young adults will stand as one in the grace and glory of Jesus Christ who Himself has brought to us the dwelling place of God. Please begin to pray with us now that God will unite our hearts to engage in the highest activity of the human soul, which is, coming into the presence of the Holy, living, triune God.

How Long, O Simple Ones?

The Hebrew word for "the simple" (Proverbs 1:4, 22, 32) is peti. Peti, according to Derek Kidner in his Proverbs commentary, means 'to fool' or to deceive or seduce. It literally means 'open,' which interestingly enough refers to the simple's mentality in life, open. He is open to what anyone tells him. He is open to good and open to evil. Open to the what might be the right way and open to harm's way. He is dangerously open-minded (not a positive quality here). It captures the sense of the one who is gullible, easily led, naive, and irresponsible.

Some might laugh at the thought of being gullible or having a friend who is easy to joke around with and take advantage of (by the way, the word 'gullible' was recently taken out of the dictionary). But the sad thing is, "the simple acquire folly" (Prov 14:18). If the simple does not turn at wisdom's reproof and heed her counsel, then he graduates to a more serious condition. Again, Kidner: "a man who is emptyheaded will end up wrongheaded."

College can be a time when you don't really have an aim in life, you don't have a whole lot of experience being a believer, and the drift towards temptation seems so easy. Well, there is a hope and a warning for such a one. Hope: turn, and wisdom will pour out her spirit to you (1:23). Warning: the simple are killed by their turning away (1:32). 

It's all in how you turn (Heb suv). God is loud and clear through His Word: turn away from sin and turn toward Wisdom (aka Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" Col 2:3) alone for salvation.

Psalm 19:7 "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (peti)."

2 Timothy 3:15 "and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

Don't delay another day. Go to God in prayer. Confess your love for being simple. Acknowledge that you've been in the wrong and He has been right all along. Pray for a healthy fear of God to guide you along in life (1:7; 9:10). Commit your life to a consistently biblical worldview that will bring honor and glory to God.

Delay another day, however, in your simple ways and you may lose the chance to call out to God for life. "For the simple are killed by their turning away, the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster" (Prov 1:32, 33).

Bear Much Fruit

Christ promises, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7).

When you first read "ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you," you can kind of tense up with a mental knee-jerk reaction, "Well, not WHATEVER you wish, of course." But if you understand the context of John 15, there should be no discomfort from Christ's promise to do for you whatever you wish, if you abide in Him and He in you. Let me explain:

John 15:5 says, "Whoever abides (remains) in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit." And not too much later, John 15:8 says, "By this the Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."

John teaches us here that God is glorified in the lives of His disciples when they bear much fruit. And the only way to bear much fruit is to abide in Christ and He in us. So logically, the more Christ is seen in and through us, the more God is glorified. The reason for this is that there is no one or no thing that brings God more pleasure than His Son (Mark 1:11 "And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'").

So if you have trusted in Christ and been united with Him, what do you think God would desire to do most with your life? Well, His primary concern would be to do whatever would bring Him most glory, because he alone is worthy (Psalm 29:2). And the means by which He brings glory to Himself through your life is by the flourishing of the character of Christ in you. Our lives become a conduit, or channel, or "branch" through which the Father achieves His ultimate end of glorifying Himself by bringing His divine life through His Son, "the true vine," to bear much fruit in us.

Return now to the promise in verse 7: "ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." If your will is completely subject to God's as you abide in Christ, then you will only be asking God for things that bring glory to Him; things that enable you to bear much fruit, and so feature the life of Christ.

In the words of the psalmist: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

Delighting yourself in the LORD = abiding in Christ