Glorious Grace!

A few years ago, I received the Book of Common Prayer from a good friend of mine. Although I no longer attend a church that uses the Book of Common Prayer, I still reference my copy often. Yesterday was the First Sunday after Epiphany and the collect reads:

O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

What a great prayer. “Grant that (I) may both perceive and know what things (I) ought to do.” Before reading this prayer, I read Psalm 119 and was struck once again by the delight the psalmist takes in the Law of God. Doug Wilson in the documentary Collison: Is Christianity Good for the World? mentions at one point that the Law of God is an expression of who God is. We often hear or think of God’s Law as a heavy condemning judgmental “rule,” but when we consider the Law as an expression of who God is, what joy it becomes for the child of God to know the Law, to delight in it, to love it, and to meditate on it. By knowing, delighting, loving and meditating on it, I learn to know, delight, love and meditate upon who God is, and that Law that once hung over my head condemning my sin, now becomes like sweet honey not because it justifies me, but because it shows me who my Father is. As the psalmist says in Psalm 119:102-103, “I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” What better way is there to “perceive and know things (we) ought to do” than to know the Law of God? I love that the prayer does not end in just perceiving or knowing, but it asks God to grant that I also “have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” What a glorious thing that not only does my justification come through Jesus Christ, but He also grants me grace and power for sanctification. Left to my own abilities I fail, but through the grace and power of Christ, I am sanctified. However, even though it is completely of His grace, He does not put me in a position of passivity.  He gives His Word, prayer, and the sacraments as means of grace. As I know and commune with Him through these means of grace, I become more like Him, and His reflection permeates my life.  What glorious grace!

As the psalmist, may we also delight in God's Law!

"For I find my delight in your commandments, which I love." Psalm 119:47

"At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules." Psalm 119:62

"The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces." Psalm 119:72

"Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight." Psalm 119:77

"If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction." Psal 119:92

"Oh how I love your law! It is my mediation all the day." Psalm 119:97

"Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold." Psalm 119:127

"Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight." Psalm 119:143

"Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble." Psalm 119:166

"I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight." Psalm 119:174

The Little Things Do Matter

Ever gotten a kind note out of the blue from a good friend? Has someone ever gone out of the way to do something for you without expecting anything in return? Has your spouse ever surprised you with some thoughtful gift or act of kindness? Little things often matter. They can truly encourage, or they can destroy. It does work both ways. Over Christmas, we got a jillion cards and family updates from people. We love hearing from old friends, but this past Christmas we also received two unexpected items. First, was an envelope with a cut out newspaper article and a small note written on a little torn piece of paper. The newspaper article had quoted my husband, and the sender thought we would like a copy of it, so she cut it out and sent it to us along with a little note letting us know she had prayed for us. I do know this lady a little, but by no means do I know her well. She is more of an acquaintance which is why the gesture was so unexpected to me. Her kindness took me off guard. The second piece of mail was a regular Christmas card addressed to my husband. Inside was a sweet note from a woman thanking him for praying for her and her family during a hospital emergency back in January 2010. My husband kept looking at the card trying to recall the situation, but he could not remember anything about the woman or even the emergency. Once again the little things matter greatly! He had helped a family in need and although to him it was hardly memorable, to them it meant a great deal. 

As I was thinking about how little things can impact us, I started thinking about words and expressions. Words are little things, but they carry meaning (much to the chagrin of our postmodern world). A few years ago I used to have frequent conversations about various doctrinal subjects with a friend that was an ordained minister. One day in conversation, I used the phrase, “It’s human nature...” He immediately stopped me, and I remember him looking at me as if I had just said something outrageously heretical. In a unwavering tone with overly enunciated consonants and slightly stretched out syllables he then said, “It is not human nature; it is sinful nature.”  Of course, I meant human nature--as in that fallen nature that we all have, but he was right, human nature is the wrong term. I have never forgotten the quickness and intensity with which he corrected me. To this day when I hear someone say "human nature" in place of sinful nature little hairs go up on my neck. The error now drives me crazy! Human nature and sinful nature are two different things. After all Christ took on  human flesh, yet He was perfectly obedient in his humanity. There was not an inkling of sin in Him.  It is interesting though how little wrong uses of terms/phrases like that over time can impact thinking and theology. After a while, humanness becomes the problem, instead of sinfulness.  Richard Mouw in his book, Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport adapted a phrase from a Lutheran scholar to make it apply to his situation. Mouw’s phrase came out like this, 

"First and foremost I am a human being. But I find being a Christian to be the best way for me to be a human being. And I find being Protestant the best way for me to be a Christian. And I find being Reformed the best way for me to be Protestant. And I find being a Calvinist to be the best way of being Reformed." 

The reason I love this quote so much is that it all goes back to being what we were created to be--human beings created in the image of God to commune with God and to glorify God. 

A Plug for Blog and Mablog

Recently I have been on a Doug Wilson kick. I have known about Doug Wilson for years through reading a book by him,  hearing his name tossed around in conversations about the Auburn Avenue Controversy, listening to classical school teachers rave about incredible educational conferences with him-- and OH! I do remember reading through some Credenda Agenda magazines years ago and laughing my head off! However I have never read enough of Wilson to really appreciate his writing (apart from those few magazines!).  My current Wilson "phase" started a couple weeks ago when I purchased the film, Collision: Is Christianity Good for the World?  This documentary follows Doug Wilson, a devout Christian, and Christopher Hitchens, an articulate atheist, around the United States as they debate their two opposing positions. It’s a fascinating film if you ever get to the chance to see it. Both men share a respect for one another (not to mention an appreciation for P.G. Wodehouse). In the end, depending on which set of presuppositions you carry into the debate will probably determine who you think does the best job in the debate. Anyhow, after seeing the film I started reading Wilson’s blog, and I have just thoroughly enjoyed it. It never ceases to challenge, humor and provoke me. I absolutely LOVE it. Check it out! One thing is for sure, you will either love or hate Wilson, but you will not remain neutral! 

Reasons I like Blog and Mablog:

Diverse Topics

Thoughtful

Logical

Biblical

Edifying

Witty

Sarcastic

Straight forward

Insightful

Clever

Welcome 2011!

It's a new year, and I had a great New Years Eve/Day! It may be strange to some, but in this house some of our favorite moments are really the non-moments. Those times of just hanging out and talking. This past weekend my husband and I did a lot of hanging out, and that took the form of board games (well, one game in particular), and we literally played into the middle of the night and all day the next day and all day yesterday. Samurai Swords, a war strategy game that takes 3-5 hours to play was the focus of our weekend. We played a total of five times and I lost a total of five times...not a great record. My husband thinks I’m crazy for continually coming back for more humiliating defeat. I guess I am a glutton for punishment, but I really do not care.  As we approach this year, I know that my husband’s job will take him away for many months, and I want to relish every moment with him while he is able to be home even if that time is spent losing miserably in Samurai Swords! 

One of our many Samurai Sword games!

So what about resolutions, you ask? Well, if “resolution” holds the idea of lots of determination then well, these aren’t resolutions, but for the fun of it I’ll call them resolutions.

I guess I should qualify--these first few are most definitely resolutions, not just some random things I’d like to do, but things I will do, if they kill me. 

1. Survive the time that my other half and I will be apart during this year. Just thinking about not being able to talk to my husband whenever I want to is stressful for me. I do not remember very many days since our wedding when we haven’t at least been able to talk, so the idea of him being gone and unavailable is frightening.

2. Enjoy the time that my dearest and I will be together. We have had a good start with all of our Samurai Sword competitions. Honestly, it is difficult for me to not be overjoyed when spending time with him. After 11 years of marriage, his company truly makes me more and more happy everyday.  

3. Grow in contentment and joy in Christ throughout my husband’s absence. It’s often when our earthly supports are removed that we are driven to our knees and learn more complete reliance on the Savior. I want to smile not just thinking about my husband’s return, but thinking about my confidence in Jesus Christ and basking in the joy of being His Child.  

As for the others:

4. It would be nice to read more. I suppose if I blogged less I would be able to read more, but in all honesty it is not blogging that keeps me from the books, it is my own laziness. I am currently almost through my first two books for the new year! I will confess, however, that they are quite short. 

5. Paint a room. A good number of rooms in my home need painting, and really my main problem is that I cannot decide exactly which color to paint them, and I do not want to start the project if I am only going to have to turn around and redo it. I’d rather just not start. 

6. Be intentional and diligent about praying for our church leaders, our military, and our government leaders. I suppose this should be in the first few resolutions. 

7. I am told by my doctor that my blood sugar is running a little high, so I guess I should include on the list of goals to decrease my sugar and carb intake, and increase my exercise. 

8. Pick a couple mercy ministries and involve myself! I was approached a few weeks about becoming an ombudsman for area nursing homes, and I am still tossing that idea around, but I would also love to volunteer for an organization that supports our troops (USO or other) or maybe volunteer to help with Special Olympics. I worked a lot with Special Olympics in college and very much enjoyed it. 


9. It should not take much effort, but surely I can have more than 15 blog entries this year! 

I think that about sums it up, I could think of more, but these few are a good start. What are your plans for the new year?