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Jeremy Taylor on prayer

1/4/2007 · 0 comments

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Last night’s compline prayers included a passage by 17th-century British clergyman Jeremy Taylor:

There is no greater proof in the world of our spiritual danger than the reluctance which most people always have and all people sometimes have to pray; so weary of their length, so glad when they are done, so clever to excuse and neglect their opportunity. Yet prayer is nothing but desiring God to give us the greatest and best things we can have and that can make us happy. It is a work so easy, so honorable, and to so great a purpose, that (except in the incarnation of His Son) God has never given us a greater argument of His willingness to have us saved and our unwillingness to accept it, of His goodness and our gracelessness, of His infinite condescension and our folly, than by rewarding so easy a duty with such great blessings.

I like this because it is so wonderfully expressed–Taylor is noted more for his good writing than for his deep theology–but there’s a lot to think about here. In particular, I’m drawn to Taylor’s definition: read the complete post

Tagged as: blessing, easy, father, gifts, God, Holy Spirit, Jeremy-Taylor, prayer

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personal attention

1/3/2007 · 0 comments

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Most of us like personal attention, knowing that someone else has given thought to us individually and specifically. But so many Christians don’t seem to believe that personal attention can occur between themselves and God, and certainly, the lost don’t believe that such a thing exists–and they often make fun of us who not only believe in it but expect it.

Growing up, I heard about “getting saved,” and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I heard phrases like “a personal relationship with God” or “accept Jesus as your personal Savior.” I had mixed feelings about such wording, particularly the second one, which sounds a little too much like Jesus is in the same category as personal chefs, personal assistants, and personal trainers.

But, I have come to appreciate more and more the thought behind such phrasing, because it points toward the heart of what I believe Christianity is about: relationship, as opposed to religion. read the complete post

Tagged as: Abraham, attention, David, father, Gerard Manley Hopkins, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Moses, personal, prayer, relationship, relationship_with_god, religion

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mighty to save

October 2, 2006

Since last Thursday, I’ve been trying to write about Isaiah 63:1, where God declares Himself “mighty to save.” My goal is to blog before 6 a.m. each day, mostly because I have no interruptions that early in morning. I occasionally manage to blog later in the day, but not often. And so it has been for the last several days.

I was up and ready to write, but about 5:15, Zack came in panicked about a project he had due that day. So Thursday was gone, and Friday morning too, as I helped him proofread an assignment (we’re working on procrastination!). Friday night Zack had two friends over to celebrate his fourteenth birthday (I think they went to sleep about 3 a.m.), and Saturday morning Isaac played soccer at 8. Yesterday, we had a mother-daughter tea party in honor of Anna’s sixth birthday (tea parties are harder to pull off than you might think). And these are just the big things that happened! I’ve been running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off for the last several days.

Throughout all this frenetic activity, I’ve been hanging on to “mighty to save.” Last Thursday, I read Charles Spurgeon's devotional on this verse. Spurgeon’s vivid language brings out the richness of these three words mighty to save:

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praying to the Father

August 20, 2006

Even if you didn’t grow up saying the “Our Father” every Sunday, it would be nearly impossible to grow up in church and not hear God called Father. Because of this, it never occurred to me that Jesus was doing something radical when He presented God Almighty as Father. I knew Jesus called God Father frequently, but I wondered about the Old Testament. A quick search revealed that the term doesn’t occur very often. Not even David, who had an incredibly intimate relationship with God, used that term, though he gave us such vivid terms as Rock, Fortress, and Stronghold…

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obedience brings growth

July 27, 2006

Today’s entry from My Utmost for His Highest is well-timed for me. Chambers says that if we want scientific understanding, go for intellect, but if we want spiritual understanding, we must obey. (I should note here that as far I as I can tell, Chambers was not anti-intellectual; rather, he recognized that God’s economy works […]

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If we don’t win today, we’ll win tomorrow

June 29, 2006

My favorite part of Cooke’s The Secret of a Powerful Inner Life comes early on, as he discusses life in the Spirit and Paul’s declaration that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. Most Christians know this, but my own experience and observation suggest that many Christians don’t really believe it; they have head knowledge–a fact and a memorized verse–but they don’t have the reality of it–belief–in their hearts. Cooke personalizes this vital truth, making it clear and believable:

God does not beat us up over missing it one day. In fact, His love bubbles over for us: “I know the struggle you’re having, but it’s a good fight. I promise, it’s a good fight you can win. Just stop condemning yourself for it. If we don’t win today, we’ll win tomorrow. Every day is a new day, by My mercy.”

The next morning we wake up, and God says, “Okay, it’s a new day. I’ve gotten rid of yesterday; let’s not carry anything forward into today. Let’s have a fresh crack at it, together. I refuse to allow you to beat yourself up over what happened yesterday.”

Meditate on this for a while: can you hear your God and Father saying this to you?

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Grandpa Switzer

June 18, 2006

My parents were in town this week on their way to and from seeing their new great-grandsons, the twins. Thursday night, we were talking about my mother’s parents, and particularly her father, Leo B. Switzer. I loved Grandpa Switzer–he was the quintessential grandfather: kind, funny, affectionate. I remember sitting on his lap; he would squeeze my leg just behind the knee to make me laugh. I also remember how he smelled, though for the life of me I can’t find words to describe it. I don’t think it was cologne or aftershave, and it wasn’t unpleasant; it was just Grandpa. I always remember him smiling.…

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