Chapter 14: Pages 179-192, Matthew 6:34 and Lamentations 3:22-23
This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) and started Part 2 "The Ultimate Goal of Providence", moving to Section 3 "The Ultimate Goal of Providence in the Design and Enactment of the New Covenant" - moving to chapter fourteen "The Glory of Christ in the Glorification of His People".
The one big idea in this chapter by Piper is to address the process of glorification, which Piper writes is the same as sanctification. He indicates that "[o]ur progressive glorification is the experience of growing in ways of thinking and feeling and behaving that reflect the glory of God in Christ"...and that "progressive glorification [both] fulfills [and is released by] the new covenant." He also writes that "God is the decisive cause in the glorification of God." Piper recaps the key point by stating "things don't just happen for God's glory; they happen for God's glory because the pervasive providence of God sees to it that they happen that way. This is the goal of providence. God is supremely committed to the display of his glory for the admiration and enjoyment of all who have it was their supreme treasure."
Pausing for a moment on the details of John Piper's book Providence, I reflect on how challenging the reading itself has become and how I often get lost in the details and fail to walk away with "the forest for the trees" or the "big or central" idea sought by Piper for his audience. Hence my posts will now increase my focus and understanding on the "big or central" idea of each chapter as I will lessen my concern for some of the finer details for the sake of seeing the forest for the trees.
This morning I lean on another of Piper's works - a blog post - to better understand the sanctification or glorification progress. Piper describes how and why God sanctifies us slowly. According to Piper, we are sanctified slowly because we are "depleted" daily and in need of "renewal". Both Matthew 6:34 and Lamentations 3:22-23 are provided to encourage us to avoid worrying about tomorrow because even though we have new troubles every day, God provides new mercies - this is the "leaking process" described in Piper's post on slow sanctification.
Comment and discuss this post here.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is progressively sanctifying me every day - with new mercies every day - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving for Your provision - You meet all my needs. My sin continues. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
