You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

Leviticus 2

You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. Leviticus 2:13

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - looking at chapter two - Giving to God in Worship - covering 2:1-16, looking specifically at the theme We Express Communion with God which focuses on v2:13.  Here, my commentary focuses on the covenant relationship established with Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14, with the Israelites in Exodus 19:5-6, and then ultimately the covenant relationship established with Jesus. The grain offering described in Leviticus 2 expresses our desire to be in communion with God. The commentary describes how salt represents both a preservative and a covenant and that God sought to have His children preserve the covenant relationship He established. The grain offering is also described in two parts, one as a memorial portion, and the remainder offered to Aaron and the priests.  Finally, my commentary writes how a memorial portion emphasizes how we are to remember all God has done, who He is, how we all need atonement for sin, and how God provides a path for atonement of sin. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and You established a covenant with me and Your promises offer hope, strength and peace - regardless of the circumstances.  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am not deserving of how You bless me and love me.  My sin of worry, harshness towards others, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus.  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.

When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil....No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord.

Leviticus 2

When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil....No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. Leviticus 2:4-5, 11

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - looking at chapter two - Giving to God in Worship - covering 2:1-16, looking specifically at the theme We Exclude Corruption from Our Lives which focuses on v2:4-5, 11. These verses include God's command that the grain offering not include any yeast or leaven. My commentary offers up in v2:4-5, 11 that yeast represents sin and corruption and how leavening with yeast "involves fermentation, which is a form of decay, and therefore is related to death." God is holy so He expects holiness in worship and as such no uncleanness is allowed in worship. The commentary provides further examples of yeast in the Bible, including New Testament references such as Luke 12:1 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-8. How we approach worship is important and we must be careful to allow even small amounts of sin into our lives as this impacts our corporate worship and our daily lives (which again per my post yesterday, God seeks for us to offer our lives as a "living sacrifice").

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who offers atonement for sin - through Jesus Christ!  Thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time - I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin of worry, etc. 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.

“When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Leviticus 2

“When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Leviticus 2:1-2

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - moving to chapter two - Giving to God in Worship - covering 2:1-16, looking specifically at the theme We Enact Dedication to God which focuses on v2:1-3.  Leviticus 2 overall looks at the grain offering vs the burnt offering described in Leviticus 1. The commentary offers up minchah as the Hebrew word for the grain offering.  It is defined further as a tribute or gift one might offer to a king - see examples 2 Samuel 8:2,6 and 2 Kings 17:3-6 of how tribute was offered and withheld respectively.  In the Old Testament such tributes were offered by subdued/servant nations and given to the conquering/overlord nation. Unlike the burnt offering, the grain offering was given not for atonement but for worship, to demonstrate gratitude for how God provides all things and to demonstrate allegiance to God. The commentary urges us to not only feel dedication/allegiance but to demonstrate it.  Giving to God and others is also urged as a means to demonstrate our worship of God.  It is also described how God wanted the grain offering to consist of fine flour - signifying an offering of the best we have -  frankincense and oil, all of which were very expensive at the time and not readily available to the nomadic people of Israel who had yet to settle in the promised land.  

We are urged to give our best in worship and with our lives every day - see John Piper on this latter point. 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You deserve my very best - yet there are times, like today, where I don't start my day with You and lose focus with distractions. Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome my sin of conforming to the world and turn 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.

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Leviticus 1

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:10

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing a review 1:1-7, looking at the theme Jesus is the Final and Perfect Means of Atonement. Here, my commentary seeks to reinforce the takeaways from the previous five days of my study of Leviticus with this commentary (all looking at different aspects of v1:1-7). The commentary writes:

• "the sacrifices [required by God] were physical acts, but they pointed to spiritual realities"
• "they [the sacrifices] pointed to the holiness of God-sin must be removed in order for people to be in God's presence"
• "they pointed to the mercy of God--He provided the means for sin to be taken away, and He invited people into His presence"
• "they pointed to the desire of the worshipers to be right with God--they were obeying God's requirements for reconciliation"

The commentary then emphasizes how the sacrificial system required by God "pointed forward to Christ" and that God had already (in Genesis 3:15) prophesied how "the seed of Eve would strike the head of the serpent."  It then describes a distinction between Old Testament sacrifice - how God taught sacrifice - and New Testament sacrifice - how God, through Jesus, provided sacrifice for sin. 

Here, in Leviticus, we have a path to reconciliation with God as it describes the sacrificial system required by God to remove sin.  We are urged to see how God has always desired us to be in union with Him through sacrifice (to remove sin), and how Jesus' death on the cross serves as the perfect and final means of atonement. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love You and I am grateful that You provide a path to remove my sin and You of course have saved me and I am part of Your family - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin continues, worry, etc. 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.

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. - Part 2

Leviticus 1

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Leviticus 1:4

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing a review 1:1-7, looking at the theme God Provides the Means of Atonement.  My post yesterday, which also looked at v1:4, focused on how our sin requires atonement and today the focus is on how God provides a means for atonement.  This means of atonement as described in my commentary should be taken seriously, and unfortunately the Israelites too often offered sacrifices as empty rituals. The commentary highlights Psalm 40:6-8, demonstrating that God cares about our heart condition, desire for Him, and a desire to please and glorify Him. 

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.  Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:6-8

We must be prepared to truly repent of our sins and draw near to God.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who provides a means for atonement - thank You Jesus!  I need to be forgiven and I need salvation - You provide both!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love - my sin continues.  Worry, etc. 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.

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Leviticus 1

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Leviticus 1:4

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing a review 1:1-7, looking at the theme Our Sin Requires Atonement. Here, the focus, as the theme states, is on atonement - my commentary indicates that Leviticus mentions "atonement" 53 times while "only 43 times elsewhere in the whole Old Testament.  Thus, Leviticus says more about atonement than any other book in the Old Testament." The word is defined as describing reconciliation with the "Hebrew word translated 'atonement' refers to the beginning of that process.  It denotes doing what is necessary for two parties to be reconciled.  In the case of our relationship with God, it refers to the taking away of sin."  The commentary gives Leviticus 17:11 as another scriptural basis to help us understand the role of shed blood with atonement, as shed blood "was the ransom payment for the death the worshiper's sin had earned." The laying of hands on the head of the burnt offering is described as transferring the sin and guilt of the worshiper to the animal sacrificed. The sacrificial system required by God is based on what the commentary describes as "a universal and unalterable truth-sin leads to death" as "laid down" by God since The Fall where just prior to the eating of the forbidden fruit God states that if you eat it, "you shall surely die (Genesis 2:17)." The commentary summarizes the sacrificial system by stating that:

1. Sin leads to death
2. God is perfectly holy - no sin is allowed in His presence
3. Our sin must be taken away for us to worship God and to enjoy fellowship with Him

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has taken my place as a ransom for my sin - thank You!  I am grateful as I know this is the greatest gift of all time and I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin continues, and I know You are not done with my sanctification. Please forgive me for my worry and other sins.  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. 

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock."

Leviticus 1

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock." Leviticus 1:2

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing a review 1:1-7, looking at the theme God Invites Us to Meet With Him. The commentary describes the word "bring" in v2 as draw near to God and how God has always provided a path for atonement of sin - that is how much He loves us.  The commentary refers to Genesis 3:1-9 (The Fall) and how God (even with full foreknowledge of their sin) immediately pursued Adam and Eve to remain in relationship with them. We must understand and appreciate the depth and breadth of God's love and how He forgives us.  The commentary offers the following verse as another scriptural example demonstrating how God offers a path for atonement and forgiveness - knowing everything about our sin and knowing full well that our sin continues. 

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Isaiah 55:1-3

Just as God spoke to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3) and how He spoke to Israel and Judah (despite their sinful ways) through Isaiah - offering a path for atonement and forgiveness - He does for all of us and that is through Jesus Christ.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of mercy and compassion for me.  Despite my sin, You offer a path for atonement and forgiveness - Jesus Christ!  Thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin continues...daily.  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.

The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock."

Leviticus 1

The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock." Leviticus 1:1-2

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - moving from an overview of the book itself to review 1:1-7, looking at the theme God Speaks His Truth to Us.  Here, the commentary focuses me right away on an appropriate view of worship.  I am encouraged to view worship based not on my own view or preferences (i.e. music, preaching style, etc.) but on what God says. The words and its variations "the Lord spoke (or called) to Moses" appear 38 times in Leviticus and the statement the "Lord commanded Moses" occurs 18 times. How I worship is important and it is wholly important for me to better understand God's view on worship. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God and You have saved me and bless me in ways unimaginable.  I am grateful but of course not deserving.  My sin, anger, worry, etc. continues...in small and large ways - either way it is a sin.  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.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

This afternoon, I dropped off my oldest son - Zach (18) - to Hillsdale College.  There is challenge here for both Zach and myself as we both begin new chapters in our lives.  For me, it is a time of loss, not so much in a bad way, but a time when I will miss seeing him daily.  For Zach, I can sense nervousness, anxiety, and excitement - all at once.  As I just finished a book by John Piper - Holy Ambition - I thought about what next to study as the basis for my daily reading and study of God's Word.  I found my recent study of Romans - using the Christ-Centered Exposition series - to be of great value, so I went to review the available commentaries with this series and instantly "stumbled" upon the volume for Leviticus - I felt immediately called to jump into this volume and book, knowing full well that Leviticus by many is recognized as one of the most challenging books of the Bible. I was thinking of what I could say to encourage Zach to jump into challenges and I suppose this is God's way of saying - "this is how".   Zach: don't run from challenge, instead, jump into it. It reminds of me of the time I went bungy jumping - here we go!

For today, I read the Introduction and key takeaways include why it is important to read Leviticus.  My commentary describes five (5) key reasons:

1. Leviticus describes entire religious system of Israel (how they were to worship). Our understanding of worship during ancient Israel's time is important context for understanding of the entire Bible.
2. Leviticus provides the theological foundation for the atoning work of Christ. 
3. Leviticus demonstrates how important holiness is to God - this is the main theme of the book.
   
4. Leviticus is the direct Word of God to Moses, Aaron, and Israel - we should always pay attention to the direct words of God.
5. The New Testament frequently references Leviticus and assumes knowledge of Leviticus. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I know You love me and provide for me - always!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me and provide for me.  I sin...daily...and my sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me for my worry and other sins.  Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn to 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.

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psalm 25:8-10

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on the Afterword: If I Could Start All Over: Six Lessons for Your Twenties, pages 181-187. Here, with this final chapter, Piper offers words of wisdom for younger generations of Christians seeking God's purpose for their lives.  Piper wants many of these young people to seek frontier missions work as Paul did.  These six lessons include:

1. marry a radical, risk-taking, go anywhere-for-Jesus world-Christian spouse.
2. join a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, Bible-structured, Bible-obedient church.
3. go to seminary - study the Bible primarily with less focus on practical church leading skills.
4. resolve to read your Bible every day for the rest of my life.
5. become a Christian Hedonist.
6. recognize that your are not your own, that you have been bought with a price, and that you belong, body and soul, to Jesus Christ for his use and his glory.

 God, please help me focus on Your desire for my life.

Comment and discuss this post here. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You indeed are a great God worthy of my full devotion and attention.  You have revealed to me Your glory and You have blessed me.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of how You have blessed and saved me.  My sin of worry, etc. 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.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter twelve Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn’t, pages 170-179.  Here, Piper outlines ten (10) Biblical convictions that drive missions: 

1. The fame of God's name: "God is passionately committed to the fame of his name, and that he be worshiped by all the peoples of the world—and this is not egomania; it is love.  Missions, global outreach, is about joining God in his passion to love the nations by offering himself to them for
   the overflowing joy of their praise." Psalm 96:3, Isaiah 12:4, Romans 15:9, Romans 9:17
2. A goal and a fuel for missions: "worship is the goal and the fuel of missions; missions exists because worship doesn’t. Psalm 22:27
3. Faith comes from hearing. Acts 4:12, Romans 10:17, 1 John 5:12, Matthew 28:19
4. Worshipers from every people. Revelation 5:9-10
5. Frontier missionaries: "there is a critical need for Paul-type missionaries whose calling and passion is to take the gospel to peoples where there is no access to the gospel at all." Romans 15:20
6. Worthy of God: "We must send global partners in a manner worthy of God." 3 John 6
7. Wartime mindset: "It is fitting for us to have a wartime mindset in the use of our resources as long as peoples are without the gospel and we have resources to send it." 2 Corinthians 8:2
8. Wartime walkie talkie: "Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom....One of the reasons our prayer malfunctions is that we try to treat it like a domestic intercom for calling the
   butler when we want another pillow in the den. But prayer is mainly for those on the front lines of the war effort, so they can call in to headquarters to send help. John 15:16
9. Suffering is the plan: "Suffering is not only the price for being in missions; it is God’s plan for getting the job done. This is not just the price many must pay. This is God’s strategy for victory. Matthew 10:25, Matthew 24:9, Matthew 10:16, Revelation 12:11
   
10. The mission will succeed. Matthew 28:19, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 24:14
    

Piper recognizes that not all will become goers, so he urges all of us who might not to be a sender and to encourage, pray and support those in the mission field.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has blessed me with those who have shared the gospel with me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the salvation You provided me.  I have great sin and it 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.  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. 

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

Psalm 96

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! Psalm 96:1-3

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter eleven Music and Missions for the Glory of God, pages 158-168. Here Piper wants us to join the author of Psalm 96 in "extolling and glorifying God as sovereign Creator, Savior, and Judge. For the Psalms ultimately take us to the ends of the earth, with a song on our lips, until the day our Savior returns and receives his kingship among all nations." Piper wants us also to see how Psalm 96 demonstrates the objective of missions by declaring God's glory to the nations, summoning them to join believers, and to warn the nations of judgement that awaits those who don't surrender their life to Jesus. Piper points to how Paul uses Romans 15:9-12 where Paul thoroughly references the Old Testament to show how all of scripture points us to the Great Commission and to be an encouragement for both senders and goers.  

Comment and discuss this post here. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is worthy of songs of praise - all the time!  Thank You for how You bless me and of course how You saved me - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift and for all the ways You bless me.  My sin of worry and other sins continue.  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.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter ten “I Am Sending You Out as Sheep in the Midst of Wolves”, pages 146-157.  Here, Piper's primary objective is to highlight the six costs and ten blessings of frontier mission work, using Matthew 10:16-31 as his reference point. 

Costs:

1. Being arrested (v10:16-18)
2. Family betrayal (v10:21)
3. Being hated by all (v10:22)
4. Being persecuted and driven out of town (v10:23)
5. Being killed (v10:28)

Blessings

1. Being sent by Christ (v10:16)
2. Being given words by the Spirit of God (v10:19-20)
3. Blessings of experiencing God's Fatherly care (v10:20)
4. Blessing of salvation at the end of it all (v10:22)
5. Blessing of knowing the Son of Man is coming in judgement and mercy (v10:23)
6. Blessing of belonging to Jesus' household (v10:25)

Piper knows that not all are hearing the call to join the frontier mission field, yet he provides these words as a means to help "us count the costs [of frontier mission work] so there is no romantic naivete about missions.  And he does it be filling us with a longing to know these blessings to the full."  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has blessed me in immeasurable, indescribable ways - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You pour out blessings for me.  My sin of worry, etc. 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.

Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do....“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Galatians 1-2 and Romans 10:14-17

Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do....“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Galatians 2:10 and Romans 10:15

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter nine Gospel to the Nations, Generosity to the Poor, pages 134-144.  Here, Piper largely leans on Galatians 1-2 and Romans 10:14-17 to illustrate how God calls us to reach the unreached and the poor which for most of the world is the same according to Piper.  Piper starts by looking at Galatians 1 where Paul urges the Galatians not to abandon their faith by following false teaching. We must believe in grace alone, and faith in Christ alone - nothing else. Piper describes how Paul met with the apostles in Jerusalem and demonstrated his faith by "not yield[ing] in submission even for a moment" (Galatians 2:5) to false teaching, and how this led the apostles to agree on how Peter would continue to preach to the Jews and Paul would preach to the (unreached) Gentiles.  Regardless of two approaches - there was unity in the overall mission (Galatians 2:9) - to seek and save the lost.  Piper writes how Galatians 2:6-9 describe what how the founding apostles and Paul protect against one of the churches earliest threats.  Piper then wants us to see how all of the apostles and Paul sought also to unify around a key aspect of missions to reach the unreached and the poor - which, again, Piper sees as often one and the same. He describes the 10/40 window, and how this area is home to some of the largest unreached people groups in the world.  We encouraged to see how God is calling us to serve this vast group of the unreached poor.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You have blessed me beyond what I deserve and helped through great difficulties...You have never left or forsaken me and I continue to see Your hand in my life and in all things.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me and protect me.  My sin continues...harsh words for others, worry, etc.  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.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 25:6-8

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter eight Cities of Ruthless Nations Will Fear the Lord, pages 122-132. Here, Piper uses both Isaiah 25:1-8 and a description of this prophecy in action as Paul has a vision to go to Macedonia (Philippi) to spread the Gospel (Acts 16:10-12).  

As we read Piper and how he unpacks the passage in Isaiah (in the context of missions - the purpose of the book), we are first urged to remember that the goal of the Gospel is God Himself - to know, be with, and enjoy God; missions, "therefore is about the greatness of God[.]"  Piper then reminds us that much of the world is in darkness and not seeing the greatness of God, regardless of efforts to bring the message everywhere. We are at war with the powers of darkness.  Yet Piper wants us to see the prophecy in Isaiah 25:1-8 as one of hope - that God "has promised an astonishing triumph in the end."  We are urged to see how God "is a planning God...[and how] He gives forethought to what he does.  He is wise" (v25:1).  Most importantly, we are to look at v25:6-8 and how he is "stronger than the strong peoples, and he is so powerful and so gracious that in the end he will turn cities of ruthless nations to fear him....This is the reverential fear of converts."  In the end we must also remember that "[n]ot one life spent in the cause of world evangelization is spent in vain."  As Piper turns to Paul's work in Philippi, we see from 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 how Paul's efforts paid off.

Piper then sums up this chapter by stating that God's vision for missions and the nations is a "vision that cannot fail-if any one of us walks away from it, someone else will pick it up."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and mercy.  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.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter seven The Aroma of Christ among the Nations, pages 110-120.  Here, Paul paints two pictures of mission work to help us better understand our fitness for performing what Piper calls "pioneer" or "frontier" missionaries - those going out to unreached people groups where the church has yet to be established. First, Piper starts with believers who have a great opportunity to serve right where they are in their local communities, but, like Paul in v12-13, move on to join the mission field.  Piper writes: "[a] door is wide open where you are. Much needs to be done—right where you are. But your spirit cannot rest. So it was with Paul. And amazingly, he left the open door of Troas behind and followed his restless spirit." Piper then wants us to see two pictures of mission work (1) where we are defeated and brought before a conquering King (Jesus) and led in "triumphal procession" - but as Christ is in us and we are to serve the great Victor (Jesus); (2) we then become a pleasing aroma to God and to the world. 

Piper then looks at five (5) tests to determine "fitness" for frontier or pioneer mission work:

1. do we treasure Christ enough so that we do not peddle his word (do we love Christ more than we love money?)
2. will we speak from sincerity (no pretense or hypocrisy)
3. will you speak as from God (not in your own power)
4. will you speak as before God (not judged by other people)
5. will you speak as in Christ (is our confidence and identity in Christ?)

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You have placed so many inspiring missionaries in my life and I have an awesome glimpse of mission work and Your glory through them!  Thank You Jesus for the great work You are doing through them and for the strength, inspiration, and power I get from these people!  You are an awesome God and Your church provides strength for me.  I am not deserving of how You bless me through the church.  I am weak, often selfish, etc.  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.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Psalm 67:1-2

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter six Let the Peoples Praise You, O God! Let All the Peoples Praise You!, pages 94-109. Here, Piper looks at Psalm 67 and unpacks what we should understand about missions. Piper first points out how this Psalm is "rooted" in the Abrahamic Covenant from Genesis 12:2-3.  We must understand how Abraham is blessed so that he will be blessing...not just the Jews, but "all the families of the earth" (Genesis 12:3).  Piper makes this clear by referencing Paul and how he writes that anyone who is in Christ (including the Gentiles) is "an heir of all his blessings" (Galatians 3) - this was always part of God's design and plan.  We are then (using Psalm 67) reminded of God's purpose is "to be known and praised and enjoyed and feared among all the peoples of the earth" - this includes God's purpose for the world and missions.  Piper's key message for us - particularly for those in the West and more pointedly for Americans - is that God blesses so that we are a blessing to the unreached. We must be good stewards of this blessing and not waste it - otherwise it becomes a curse.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has blessed me - blessed me indeed!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me.  My sin is great and it continues - sin of worry, etc. 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.

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:8-10

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter five The Unsearchable Riches of Christ for All Peoples, pages 84-92. Here, Piper unpacks the greatest goals of missions by looking "backward through three successively smaller means to reach this goal." He works backwards because he wants to end with us - individual believers - and an examination of our role in the Great Commission. So, working backwards from the greatest goal of missions using successively smaller means, here we go:

1. the display of God's manifold wisdom (v3:10)
2. the gathering of God's global church (v3:8-9)
3. the preaching of Christ's unsearchable riches (v3:8-9)
4. the service of God's ordinary missionaries (v3:8)
   

In this chapter, I am highlighting key excerpts:

• "There are twists and turns in history that bring about God’s design in ways that no one ever dreamed. There are no wasted strokes on this canvas as God paints his wisdom in the history of missions." (page 90)
  
• "[I]t is going to take eternity for God to exhaust on you the unsearchable riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. It will take ages upon ages upon ages for the riches of Christ to be searched out." (page 91/Ephesians 2:7)
• "So here is one of the greatest incentives of all to give ourselves to missions. God intends to use ordinary, messy, small paint brushes on the canvas of the history of missions because every minute stroke of his brush matters. Every bright stroke of triumph and every dark stroke of
  suffering matters. He is an infinitely wise painter. He knows what he is doing with your life. Not one stroke will be wasted. You can trust him with your life. Yield to the wise hand that would paint with your life." (page 92)

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and mercy - I know, because of my sin - that I deserve death.  Yet You came to seek and save me - thank You Jesus! Please forgive me for my sin of harsh words, gossip, worry, etc. 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.

For my name's sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

For my name's sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. Isaiah 48:9-11

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter four A Rescue Mission from Glory to Gladness, pages 68-82. Here, Piper uses a modified version of question one from the Westminster Catechism to define the chief end of missions. He ultimately lands on a definition where the chief end of missions is the "supremacy of God in the joy of all peoples." We are urged to see the supremacy of God and the joy of all peoples as inseparable - they rise and fall together.  Piper wants us to go out into the world and reach and save the lost so that God is exalted through the joy of those being saved. Of course the starting point here is that we exist to glorify God and God's exaltation is magnified through our satisfaction and joy in Him.  Piper points to the many examples where scripture supports this view.  For example, Piper points to Psalms:

• Psalm 47:1
• Psalm 66:1-2
• Psalm 67:3-4
• Psalm 68:32
• Psalm 96:1
• Psalm 97:1
• Psalm 98:4
• Psalm 100:1
  

In response to those who claim that God might be better off being exalted through our trust, or obedience, he writes that "[i]sn't the answer that the essence of faith and obedience and life-and indeed all genuine spiritual experience-is the enjoyment of God in [the acts of obedience, trust, etc.], such that if you remove the enjoyment of God from them, they cease to be God-exalting acts?"

Again as a backdrop to the purpose of this book - to help believers define and pursue a holy ambition as Paul does - is only rightly understood, if we are to pursue missions, when we fully understand the chief end of missions.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God, worthy of my praise and worship as Your creation is amazing and I know You are in all things.  You came to save me, even though I was an enemy of God - You still saved me.  I am grateful but undeserving.  I have sinned greatly and continue to do so - worry, etc. 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.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10:14-16

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter three  The Voice of the Sovereign Shepherd - pages 54-67. Here, Piper primarily uses John to state that there are other sheep (implying unreached people of the earth) that are "are not of this fold" (John 10:16). He briefly describes the doctrine of election, and how God has already chosen a select from the unreached people of the earth to be His, to hear his voice (John 10:3-4), and He knows them and they will follow Him (John 10:27). Piper encourages us to see how God does all of this but NOT without us as believers some of whom He calls to enter the mission field.  Piper closes the chapter to write: "[d]on't waste your life.  Open your mouth, and become and voice of the sovereign Shepherd.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and I am grateful that there are those who have opened their mouth and served as a voice of the sovereign Shepherd - that I would be saved.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...including worry.  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.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. Luke 21:16-18

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter two Doing Missions When Dying is Gain - pages 37-53.  Here, Piper looks at how suffering in the missions field brings about fruit, for those to whom the gospel is preached and for those who do the preaching working as missionaries. He states that "[t]he price of God's global mission is suffering, and the volatility in the world today against the church is not decreasing." We are encouraged, particularly Americans, to move away from comfort and stress-free living to "take up His cross and follow [Jesus]" (Matthew 16:24).  Piper goes on to write how "suffering is not just the price of missions but also the means."  He unpacks Colossians 1:24 as the scriptural basis for this view. People all over the world need to see the personal sacrifice of missionaries as a demonstration and presentation of Christ's sufferings on the cross. We are encouraged to lean on God's promises that God is so much bigger than the harm that may befall us in the service of Christ. 

• Hebrews 13:5-6
• Romans 8:35-39 
• Luke 21:16-18 
  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are amazing and You bless me with all of Your promises that always come true - Your Word does not fail!  Thank You Jesus!  I can rest in Your Word and with Your promises. Yet I am undeserving of Your faithfulness...because my sin continues...and I know You hate sin.  Please forgive me for worry, etc.  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.

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:4-6

This afternoon, I continue with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter one The Story of His Glory - pages 17-35. As a starting point for better understanding our holy ambition, Piper wants to ensure we understand God's glory and that we exist for God's glory. Piper states that "in order for us to have a heart for unreached peoples that is strong enough, durable enough, God-centered enough to be the kind of heart it should be, we need to base this hear for the nations on the same foundation on which God bases his heart for the nations." Piper then goes on of course to say that "God's heart for the nations is built on God's heart for God....God does everything for the sake of magnifying his glory."  We must also understand, according to Piper that God's self-exaltation is "for the enjoyment of his people...[e]verything good that you ever longed for will be satisfied in him."  Piper goes all the way back to Genesis and Creation to remind us that we were created in his image (Genesis 1:27) and that images exist to display God's glory.  Jesus exists for God for God's glory...and God is "well-pleases with Jesus" (Matthew 3:17).  Time and time again in the Old Testament God acts for "the sake of [his] name."  Understanding all of this is a key precursor to understanding why Jesus "came to purchase people from every ethnic group and the church sends out missionaries."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed worthy of my praise and worship - on the count of my salvation alone You are worthy.  But You are worthy for so much more and then some!  My description, nor can my human brain fully comprehend how and why You are worthy.  Thank You Jesus for pouring out the many blessings for me that You pour out for me - I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues daily....many times a day.  I am broken and sinful...and in need of You.  Desperately.  Please forgive me for my sin today - worry and so much more.  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.

[T]hus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel[.]

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Romans 15:17-21

As I wrapped my study of Romans, one particular verse (v15:20) from Romans sticks with me and my commentary that I used referred to Paul's ambition as a "holy ambition."  We are all urged to have a holy ambition like Paul's, and so I now move on to John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  This afternoon, my focus is on the Introduction - pages 11-19. 

Piper states that the holy ambition from Romans 15:20 have three direct implications for our lives (as believers):

1. that we all have a holy ambition
2. that we see an immeasurable need (for the gospel)
   
3. that we (corporately and/or individually) have a global strategy to meet the immeasurable need 

Piper goes on to state that each of us should have a holy ambition but that not everyone should have Paul's holy ambition as each has its own gifting. He writes that our holy ambition "comes from a personal encounter with the living Christ (not necessarily as dramatic as the Damascus road), shaped and informed and empowered by the written word of God."

If we don't feel like we have a holy ambition, Piper suggests that we "saturate" ourselves "with the word of God and ask him for it."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has grown in my heart and life and I feel filled!  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving of how You bless me in so many ways.  I have sin of anger, worry, etc. 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 an every day.

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

 Romans 16

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Romans 16:17-20

This afternoon, I completed my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I completed the final chapter twenty Christian Friendship, which covers Romans 16.  My focus today is all of Romans 16, with a particular focus on v16:17-27 - today's entry from my commentary refers to this final review of Romans 16 as How Christian Friendship Is Experienced: Love. 

These closing verses of chapter 16 (and all of Romans) reveal how Paul wants the church to play a central role in creating unity and how, in turn, unity drives strength to stay strong in the faith - Satan and sin is powerful, but Jesus is more powerful and we know that ultimately the victory over Satan and sin is already won so we can remain confident. In the final verses of this chapter and Romans overall, Paul reminds us how scripture and the Holy Spirit, who accompanies us in our reading of the Bible, "bring about the obedience of faith" (v16:26) and that we are strengthened (v16:25) by God and the Holy Spirit. God equips us as we draw near to Him. 

As we look back and wrap up chapter 16, my commentary reminds us five ways how we can love each other in "the community of faith"

• honoring one another
• showing hospitality to one another
• showing affection for one another
• doing ministry together
• staying focused on the gospel together
  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has helped strengthened me through communities of faith - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You have blessed me with such communities.  I sin...poor judgement, worry, etc. 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.