The Greatest Temptation for Those Zealous to Advance Christianity

A convicting quote from Jonathan Edwards, lightly modernized here by Ray Ortlund [1]:

Spiritual pride is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christianity.

It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgment.

It is the main source of all the mischief the devil introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God.

Spiritual pride tends to speak of other persons’ sins with bitterness or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt. But pure Christian humility rather tends either to be silent about these problems or to speak of them with grief and pity.

Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble Christian is most guarded about himself.

He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart.

The proud person is apt to find fault with other believers, that they are low in grace, and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are and to be quick to note their deficiencies.

But the humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own heart and is so concerned about it that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts.

He is apt to esteem others better than himself.

—Jonathan Edwards, “Thoughts on the Revival,” Works (Edinburgh, 1979), I:398-400.


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Article printed from Justin Taylor: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor

Something a bit different today

The Ross Sisters Act from 1944 -- amazing flexibility, strength, and they can sing, too!

Above All

Found this a few moments ago.

What? I Can't Hear You!

...from Ann Voscamp at A Holy Experience.

Ann writes on silence. How we generally aren't, and why we should be. Every day. Great post. Go here.

Ann also gives you options to follow her blog. Sign up!

A Strong Woman v. A Woman of Strength

A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape…
But a woman of strength builds relationships to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything…
But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the better of her…
But a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future…
A woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be unexpected blessings,
and capitalizes on them.

A strong woman wears a look of confidence on her face…
But a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey…
But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

--- Copyright © 2005 Dee Cheeks

New Year, Old Goals

2010. Here to stay for 361 more days.

And I realize I don't have any new resolutions.
I have the same resolutions that I've had for almost 28 years.

I'm still working on them...and will be until my days here are over.

I want to love God more.

I want to be more like Jesus.

I want to love the people in my life much more as God loves them and much less as I usually do...which isn't very much like Him.

I want to grow in the knowledge of God.

I want to be passionate about the One who's worth being passionate about.

I want to find out more of what it means that God redeemed me.

And, yes, I'd like to eat better and exercise more.

(and maybe blog more.)

It's gonna be a great year...because He's a very, VERY big God.

Draw God

Later I would learn that Uccello painted the Battle of San Romano with tempera on wood panel in 1435, a scene recounting the victory of the Florentines over the Sienese.

But walking through the Louvre that day I didn’t know any of that. Frankly, the painting’s spirited clash of metal, charging horses, flapping banners appealed little to my pastoral, peace-loving sensibilities. But it was that boy sitting there….

If it hadn’t been for that cross-legged boy sitting on the floor of the gallery, a few feet from this masterpiece that purportedly once hung in Napoleon’s bathroom, I likely wouldn’t have given the work more than a passing glance.

But when I realized what this child attempted in the circling of tourists and foreign languages and the clicking of shutters, I lingered long, intrigued.

What I witnessed brushed me, dyed me, soaked into the fabric of me.

Actually, the young boy didn’t gaze on Uccello’s painting either. I never saw him look directly at it. Instead, this boy of perhaps ten turned slightly to peer at the canvas beside him. An artist had propped up an easel in front of Uccello’s Battle of San Romano, carefully dipped her brush into the palette atop a stool, and painstakingly copied every stroke of Uccello’s unto her canvas.

And this boy copied every stroke of hers.

By Ann Voscamp

Read the rest here.