• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

Surprising nature of God’s love

Posted on January 19, 2022 by wtdavid

I read this quote in the book, Deeper, and thought I would share it for our reflection and to “drive our hearts” deeper into His love:

“They that find Christ [discover that] though he be so glorious and excellent a person, yet they find him ready to receive such poor, worthless, hateful creatures as they are, which was unexpected to them. They are surprised with it.

They did not imagine that Christ was such a kind of person, a person of such grace. They heard he was a holy Savior and hated sin, and they did not imagine he would be so ready to receive such vile, wicked creatures as they. They thought he surely would never be willing to accept such provoking sinners, such guilty wretches, those that had such abominable hearts.

But behold, he is not a whit the more backward to receive them for that.  They unexpectedly find him with open arms to embrace them, ready forever to forget all their sins as though they had never been. They find that he as it were runs to meet them, and makes them most welcome, and admits them not only to be his servants but his friends.  He lifts them out of the dust and sets them on his throne; he makes them children of God; he speaks peace to them; he cheers and refreshes their hearts; he admits them unto strict union with himself, and gives the most joyful entertainment, and binds himself to them to be their friend forever.

So are they surprised with their entertainment. They never imagined to find Christ a person of such kind of love and grace as this.  ‘Tis beyond all imagination or conception.”

The quote is taken from a sermon by Jonathan Edwards: “Seeking after Christ”.

As the author of the book, Deeper, writes in response: “Let him love you all over again.  Pick yourself up off the ground, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and allow his heart to plunge you into his oceanic love more deeply than he ever has before.”

May that be our prayer and our active response to His heart for us!

Filed under: Love of God, Spiritual Life | Leave a comment »

Read outside your comfort zone

Posted on September 16, 2021 by wtdavid

On the recommendation of a coach, I picked up a book on listening prayer.  It’s not a book that I would have necessarily selected on my own, but since someone I respect suggested it to me, I thought I would give it a read.

Just mentioning the topic may have already evoked positive or negative responses in your heart. And that’s perfectly normal as most of us prefer to read in our ‘comfort zone’.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  It is beneficial to our faith to deepen our roots in the main biblical or theological framework that we know, and which allows us to know and experience Christ and His love more deeply.

However, we need the challenge to re-examine once and awhile our framework in order to discern if there are not other ways or means (the “means of grace” as the Reformers described it) by which we can grow more in love with Christ.  And which might lead to more fruitfulness in our spiritual journey and ministry with Christ.

The act of ‘listening prayer’ is not natural to me, but I am learning new elements through this book that are helping me to re-align my prayer life with God’s will and direction.

Now, I’m talking only about a book at this point.  However, this could also apply to a discussion, a podcast or some other means of being challenged to think more deeply about the biblical and theological framework that drives our life and ministry.

Paul rightly said to the brothers and sisters in Thessalonica: “We ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1)

By the way, I will also be asking a WT colleague to read and discuss the book with me.  Another way to grow: by learning together with another, what the Lord might be wanting to teach me, to teach us.

Filed under: Lifelong learning, Reading, Spiritual Life | 3 Comments »

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