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

The Old Testament is the revelation of God to show man what God is like, who God is, what God tolerates and does not tolerate, and how God desires holiness and punishes sin. The New Testament is God revealed by his Son, and in the culmination and the coming of his Son to establish His eternal Kingdom. But in either case, Old Testament, New Testament, God spoke. And what we have is indeed the word of God. This is not the word of man.

So, Men were not inspired, but scripture is. God breathed into them and they worte it down, word by word, what God breathed into them. It was more than dictation. They weren’t just listening to some voice and writing mechanically every word; it was flowing through their heart and their soul and their mind and their emotions and their experiences. But it came out every word the Word of God. As God breathed into them the message and they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, they said it and some of them wrote it down. Miraculous, inexplicable process that yields to us the word of God. – John MacArthur

Hacked By #CodeName #InoEqi =)

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Posted originally by Josef @ http://missionsevangelismtheology.blogspot.co.uk

I fear the snares that Satan lays for you on this point. I fear that he will succeed in filling your minds with the vain notion, that to be a true Christian as a youth is impossible. I have seen many carried away by this delusion. I have heard it said, “You are requiring an impossibility in expecting so much Christianity from young people. Youth is no time for seriousness. Our desires are strong, and it was never intended that we should keep them under such strong Christian control, as you wish us to do. God meant for us to enjoy ourselves. There will be plenty of time for religion in the future.” And this kind of talk is only too much encouraged by the world. The world is only too ready to wink at youthful sins. The world appears to think it a matter of course that young men must “sow their wild oats.” The world seems to take it for granted that young people must be irreligious, and that it is not possible for them to follow Christ.

Young men, I will ask you this simple question–Where will you find anything of this in the Word of God? Where is the chapter or verse in the Bible which will support this talking and reasoning of the world? Doesn’t the Bible speak to old and young alike, without distinction? Is not sin–sin, whether committed at the age of twenty or fifty? Will it form the slightest excuse, in the day of judgment, to say, “I know I sinned, but I was young then?” Show your common sense, I beg of you, by giving up such vain excuses. You are responsible and accountable to God from the very moment that you know right and wrong.

I know very well that there are many difficulties in a man’s way. But there are always difficulties in the way of doing right. The path to heaven is always narrow, whether we be young or old. There are difficulties, but God will give you the grace to overcome them. God is no hard master. He will not, like Pharaoh, require you to make bricks without straw. He will make sure that the path He requires us to walk is never an impossible road. He never gave commands to man which He would not give man the power to perform.

There are difficulties, but many a young man has overcome them in the past, and so can you. Moses was a young man with passions like yourself; but see what is said of him in Scripture: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26). Daniel was a young man when he began to serve God in Babylon. He was surrounded by temptations of every kind. He had few people with him, and many against him. Yet Daniel’s life was so blameless and consistent, that even his enemies could not find any fault in him, except “it has something to do with the law of his God” (Daniel 6:5). And these are not solitary cases. There is a cloud of witnesses whom I could name. Time would not allow me, if I were to tell you of young Isaac, young Joseph, young Joshua, young Samuel, young David, young Solomon, young Abijah, young Obadiah, young Josiah, young Timothy. These were not angels, but men, with natural hearts like your own. They too had obstacles to contend with, lusts to mortify, trials to endure, hard places to travel, like any of you. But young as they were, they all found it possible to serve God. Will they not all rise in judgment and condemn you, if you persist in saying it cannot be done?

Young men, try to serve God. Resist the devil when he whispers it is impossible. Try, and the Lord God of the promises will give you strength in the trying. He loves to meet those who struggle to come to Him, and He will meet you and give you the power that you feel you need. Be like the man whom Bunyan’s Pilgrim saw in the Interpreter’s house, go forward boldly, saying “Write down my name.” Those words of our Lord are true, though I often hear them repeated by heartless and unfeeling tongues: “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Difficulties which seemed like mountains shall melt away like snow in spring. Obstacles which seemed like giants in the distance, will dwindle into nothing when you actually face them. The lion that blocks the way that you are traveling and causes you great fear, will prove to be chained and unable to harm you. If men believed the promises more, they would never be afraid of their assigned duties. But remember that little word I press upon you, and when Satan says, “You cannot be a Christian while you are young:” answer him, “Get behind me, Satan: by God’s help I will try.”

John Charles Ryle – Bishop of Liverpool – Ten from Thoughts for Young Men

After julius Caesar was murdered, Antonius brought forth his coat, all bloody and cut, and laid it before the people. Saying, ‘Look, he you have the emperor’s coat thus bloody and torn’ : whereupon the people were presently in an uproar , and cried out to slay those murderers; and they took their tables and stools that were in the place and set them on fire, and ran to the homes of them that had slain Caesar, and burnt them. So that when we consider that sin hath slain our Lord Jesus, ah, how should it provoke our hearts to be revenged on sin, that hath murdered the Lord of glory, and hath done that mischief that all the devils in hell could never have done?

It was good counsel one have, ‘Never let go out of your minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ’; Let these be meat and drink unto you; let them be your sweetness and consolation. your honey and your desire, your reading and your meditation, your life, death, and resurrection.

Taken from “Precious Remedies Against Satans Devices” by John Owen

If you had every pleasure and everything you could ever wish for in this life but did not know God, then you are the sorriest being in the universe (this is the case with many); however, if you had nothing at all, and lived on the streets with only clothes and food for the day, but you knew God intimately (as it was with the rich man and Lazarus) then you are the most fortunate and blessed creature in the universe. It is better to be near to God with nothing than to have all things and be far away from him as so many are.

When speaking about being near to God, this is what really defines a person’s state; you are not truly at peace until you have peace with God. You may feel that you have peace, but it is not true peace.  JI Packer defines true peace like this, “The peace of God, then, primarily and fundamentally, is a new relationship of forgiveness and acceptance – When Jesus came to his disciples in the upper room at evening on his resurrection day, he said “Peace be with you”; and when “he said that, he showed them his hands and side” (John 20:19-20). Why did he do that? Not just to establish his identity, but to remind them of the propitiatory death on the cross whereby he had made peace with his father for them. Having suffered in their place, as their substitute, to make peace for them, he now came in risen power to bring that peace to them.” This is the only peace that is worth having, peace with God.

This is what God wrote through James over 1000 years ago, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God….“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:4–10)

Reading the above (James 4:4-10), you cannot fail to see/notice the urgency and seriousness in what is written. It can be staggering when first read, and this is the first thing we must realise: the matter of drawing near to God is a very serious one, hence, James says things like “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.”  This is a call to a serious, humble and sober assessment; it is a call to reality. You have nothing to be happy about if you are far from God.

WAKE UP!

In this year, I have attended two funerals and last week, It is a sobering reality that we all someday must die and stand before God. If we live for 10 years or 100 years we must die, and the sooner we realise this and live in light of it, the better for us.” William Gurnal said, “We can soon run from ourselves as to run from death.” and Hebrews 9:27 says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…”.

James therefore shows that for someone who has realised the seriousness of not being close to God, there is repentance: they are called to “cleanse their hands” and “purify their hearts”. “Hands” has the general idea of the things you do, and “hearts” has the idea of your motives, the things in your heart. God calls not just for an outward show of religiosity, like the self-righteous religious rulers of Jesus’ time did, but calls for a true change of heart: a single heart that is set on truly, honestly knowing God, and following him whatever the cost. This is echoed in the above passage where James says, “draw near to God and he will draw near to you”, then he immediately says “cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded”. This is what you may call being born again, where God by the power of his holy spirit changes the heart of a person in such a way that it can be said of that person that they are a new creature. Have you been made new born from above? Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “God will not pardon for repentance yet NOT without it”, says Thomas Watson.

REALITY CHECK!

No one who is seriously seeking to draw near to God will go chasing after the very things that has caused that individual to be far from God in the first place, namely Sin, because any real desire to draw near to God is based upon a realization to some degree that God is the most precious being in all of the universe and that drawing near to him and being on his side, is the only acceptable way to exist. Thomas Brooks, an old preacher understood this when he said, “A greater hell I would not wish any man, than to live and not love the beloved of God”. A lot of people claim to have a belief in God, but if the things we say are tested by the way we live, this would prove not to be true. If you believed that you would die if you jumped out of an airplane, you would not jump, but if you didn’t believe it, you may jump. Some claim to believe God but live as if God does not exist, and so James in effect calls us to a reality check: to approach God in the right way, and with the right attitude, coming humbly before God to recognize his greatness as God and our nothingness as man, and to seek his friendship. He basically says what the call to the gospel is, repent and believe the Gospel. And reading this, some may say well, I want to draw near to God, I want to know God, and if this is your earnest desire, I am thankful to God for that, and my conscience will not give me rest if I do not explain to you the way to truly know God; the only way there is, the only way there ever have been or ever will be.

First I ask you a question, do you believe Romans 3:23 which says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”? You may say yes. Let us examine that claim; a lot of individuals say they believe themselves to be sinners, however, when accused of a crime like lying, they fume with anger as though they are absolutely innocent of ever lying. Do you truly believe yourself to be a sinner – someone who has deliberately broken Gods laws, from when you were young till now? Have you ever faced that reality honestly? Have you realised that every time you have told a lie, it has been recorded, against you, as a crime against God? When I was younger I would imagine that I would sin against God all my life, and just before I die, I would quickly say sorry for all my sins. That kind of thinking shows how much sin has affected our minds. I wouldn’t have even fathomed the idea of doing that to a person I knew or a friend I knew, because it would be crazy to imagine that I would deliberately wrong someone all my life and then just before I die, quickly say sorry! Is this what you are doing? Do you think that somehow, you can get away with any sin you have ever committed? God sees all, and every wrong deed or thought you have ever had is recorded against you and will be brought before you in God’s courtroom. My dear friend, do you believe this? If you do, then I will ask you another question: have you ever read Romans 6:23?  It says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.  Just as you work, and at the end of the month, you would expect any good and just organisation to pay you the wages you deserve, the same way, as you have sinned, God, being a good and Just Judge, MUST pay you the wage you deserve, and that wage is death; not only physical death, but eternal death. The last book of the bible, Revelations, looks ahead for us and tells us what will happen and it is terrifying “”But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”.” (Revelation 21:8). Friend, are you on that list? I was also on that list, and though this may seem all gloomy and dark, this is NOT where the message ends. In fact, the gloom of the above, and the sad state of all described in the above is what makes the message of the Gospel a joyful and happy one. Let me explain…

The above has shown us that all have sinned, and all anyone deserves from God is their wages, which is nothing less than eternal punishment to satisfy God’s perfect Justice.  If someone killed a member of your family, you would expect a good Judge to give that person a Just punishment for their action, and so it is with the Lord; he is a good God and he is a Just Judge. Once there is sin, that sin must be paid for, and he is Just therefore he cannot let you go free, he cannot let your good deeds cancel out your bad deeds – perfect justice must be done. And this is where we get to the heart of the message of the Gospel: because God is infinitely wise, and infinitely merciful, he created a way whereby he can still be Just and show perfect mercy to poor, helpless and hopeless sinners! And that is through Jesus Christ. When Jesus was on that cross, although the Roman soldiers nailed Him there, that was NOT the greatest thing he suffered there on the cross. Isaiah tells us that, “it pleased the Lord to Crush him” and that “God has laid on him the iniquity of us all”, on the cross. The most dreadful reality was that Jesus was bearing our sin, he was taking the wages that we deserve, and he was doing this for us. It is fascinating to consider who Jesus was and what he did. He was God himself, he made all things, and held all things together, yet he willingly subjected himself to the Roman insults, nails, and his father’s wrath to bear the guilt of all who would come to trust in him for their salvation. He never sinned, or told a lie like me and you have, rather, he was utterly perfect, he knew no sin. Yet God laid on him the iniquity of us all so that his righteousness may be given to us just as our sin was laid on him. As such for all who have come to turn away from their sin and put their hope in Jesus Christ for salvation, fully acknowledging that he is none other but the Sovereign Lord, the rightful King and Ruler of their lives, they are looked upon by God as perfectly forgiven of all sin! past, present and future! They have the perfect, spotless righteousness of Christ.

Imagine a story of a man and his wife: Every day he wakes up and says to her, “I love you”, and she says, “Well you always say you love me, don’t just say you love me, show me you love me.” One day she has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital, she needs a new heart. Her husband comes to the hospital and without thinking asks for his heart to be given to her. She is restored to health, he dies by sacrificing himself, and she is at his funeral; amongst everything that may be going through her mind, that wife would be able to put her finger on that event and say, “by this my husband has shown me he loves me, by this he has shown is care for me”. This is what Paul wants us to get when he says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7–8). The infinite greatness of God’s love is not shown by him becoming unjust and pardoning everyone’s sin (as some say), but by him sending his Son to be a perfect sin bearer for anyone who would believe in him and trust him for salvation.

WAGES VS A FREE GIFT

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Friend, which one do you want? Do you want your wages or will you cast off your wages and thankfully accept the free gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus? Jesus said eternal life is to know God through him. This is what it means to truly be near to God and have peace with God.

God is holy, your sin has put a dividing wall of hostility between you and God, but Jesus Christ through his death has made peace. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1).  To be justified means to be taken to court and to be made free, to be acquitted – free of any guilt. And so, because of Jesus you can stand free from any guilt or condemnation if you will but leave off sin and put all your hope in Jesus’ Death and Resurrection as your only hope of forgiveness. Just like a person who is dropping down from an airplane will hope in a parachute as his only hope, so you must cast all your hope on Christ death and you shall be saved. “He hideth our unrighteousness with His righteousness, He covereth our disobedience with His obedience, he shadoweth our death with His death, that the wrath of God cannot find us.” said Henry Smith.

TRULY SATISFIED!

And even with the forgiveness we receive by faith in Christ, there is also a joy and satisfaction that comes from knowing him that can never be found outside Christ, you shall remain empty until you have come to know the Lord. You may try to satisfy yourself with one sin after another, but true satisfaction is found in knowing the Lord, and he calls you to come and take forgiveness freely. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live….” (Isaiah 55:1–3). “In all their Jollity,” says Richard Sibbes, “they are but as a book fairly bound, which when it is opened is full of nothing but tragedies. So when the book of their consciences shall be once opened there is nothing to be read but lamentations and woes.”

What are you doing to do? Are you going to act like you have never read this? God forbid! If someone came to you and said an individual stood in your place yesterday when you were going to be shot and took your bullet, would you just ignore it as though nothing happened? Surely you would at least investigate to see if it is true? And if you are not moved in the least at what you have read, this only shows you the dreadfulness of your state, and your need of the grace of God, so I urge you friend, leave your sin and fly to Christ and find true peace with God.

Or else you will be one of those spoken of here “Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev 6:15-17 ESV). Hebrews tells us “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God” (Heb 10:31).

An unbeliever shall have a double condemnation; one from the law which he hath transgressed, and another from the gospel which he hath despised: as a malefactor, that being condemned and dead in law, rejecteth his prince’s pardon. But it is otherwise with these that are in Christ Jesus. The law cannot condemn them, because they have appealed; the gospel cannot because they have believed. – John Trapp.

Do not waste any time, flee to Christ at once! He receives sinners!

What does the gospel of God offer us ? If we say “the peace of God.” none will demur – but will everyone understand ? The use of right words does not guarantee right thoughts! Too often the peace of God is thought of as if it were essentially a feeling of inner tranquility, happy and carefree, springing from knowledge that God will shield one from life’s hardest knocks/ But this is a misrepresentation, for, on the one hand, God does not featherbed his children in this way,and anyone who thinks he does is in for a shock, and on the other hand, that which is basic and essential to the real peace of God does not come into this concept at all.

The truths, after which this account of God’s peace is feeling (though it misrepresents them, as we said) is that God’s peace brings us two things: both power to face and live with our own badness and failings, and also contentment under “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” ( For which the Christian name is God’s wise providence).  The truth that this account ignores is that the basic ingredient in God’s peace, without which the rest cannot be, is pardon and acceptance into covenant – that is, adoption into God’s family. But where this change of relationship with God – out of hostility into friendship, out of wrath into the fullness of Love, out of condemnation into Justification – is not set forth, the gospel of peace is not truly set forth either.

The peace of God is first and foremost peace with God; it is the state of affairs in which God, instead of being against us, is for us. No account of God’s peace that does not start here can do other than mislead. One of the miserable ironies of our time is that whereas liberal and radical theologians believe themselves to be restating the gospel for today, they have for the most part rejected the categories of wrath, guilt, condemnation and the enmity of God, and so have made it impossible for themselves to ever present the gospel at all, for they cannot now state the basic problem that the gospel of peace solves.

The peace of God, then, primarily and fundamentally, is a new relationship of forgiveness and acceptance – and the source from which it flows is propitiation. When Jesus came to his disciples in the upper room at evening on his resurrection day, he said “Peace be with you”; and when “he said that he showed them his hands and side” (John 20:19-20). Why did he do that? Not just to establish his identity,but to remind them of the propitiatory death on the cross whereby he had made peace with his father for them. Having suffered in their place, as their substitute, to make peace for them, he now came in risen power to bring that peace to them.

“Look, the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” John 1:29. It is here, in the recognition that, whereas we are by nature as odds with God, and God with us, Jesus has made “peace through his blood shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20), that true knowledge  of the peace of God begins ?

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, ESV)

Friend is this the peace you know ?

This excerpt was taken from a book Titled “In My Place Condemned he Stood” by JI Packer and Mark Dever

If this is not the peace you have, then let this video below tell you exactly how you can have peace with God! After all, if you have peace with all men in this world and do not have peace with God then you have NO true peace, because the most important being, the King of all Kings, and Sovereign ruler of the universe is at odds with you, and he is patient, but he is coming for you so take heed, humble yourself and listen to the message of the Peace of God whilst you still can!

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

Overall Life Mission1

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the aforementioned things.

3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power; might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty; and then according to Eph. 6:6-8, do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man; “knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.” June 25 and July 13, 1723.

Good Works

11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances don’t hinder.

13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.

69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.

Time Management

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

18. Resolved, to live so at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.

37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and wherein I have denied myself: also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec.22 and 26, 1722.

40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

41. Resolved, to ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

50.Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.

51.Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.

61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc. May 21, and July 13, 1723.

Relationships

14. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.

15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger to irrational beings.

16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

31. Resolved, never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.

33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and preserving peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other respects. Dec.26, 1722.

34. Resolved, in narration’s never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity.

36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.

46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eve: and to be especially careful of it, with respect to any of our family.

58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May27, and July 13, 1723.

59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July ii, and July 13.

66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.

70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.

Suffering

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether ~ have done my duty, and resolve to do it; and let it be just as providence orders it, I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.

Character

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

21. Resolved, never to do anything, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.

32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that in Prov. 20:6, “A faithful man who can find?” may not be partly fulfilled in me.

47. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to. Examine strictly every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5,1723.

54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.

63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. Jan.14? and July ’3? 1723.

27. Resolved, never willfully to omit anything, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

39. Resolved, never to do anything that I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or no; except I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

Spiritual Life

Assurance

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.

26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.

48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or no; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.

49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.

The Scriptures

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

Prayer

29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.

64. Resolved, when I find those “groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those “breakings of soul for the longing it hath,” of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be wear’, of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

The Lord’s Day

38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord’s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.

Vivification of Righteousness

30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.

43. Resolved, never henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s, agreeable to what is to be found inSaturday, January 12. Jan.12, 1723.

44- Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. Jan.12, 1723.

45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan.12 and 13.1723.

Mortification of Sin and Self Examination

23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.

24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.

60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination.July 4, and 13, 1723.

68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

Communion with God

53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton’s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.

Aug. 17, 1723

________

1 The subheadings and categorization are suggested by Matt Perman to increase the readability.

When Herod finally died in 4 BC, the people started a revolution, and – you guessed it – that brought the cruel might of the Roman army down on them… with full force! People all around Nazareth, where Jesus was to grow up, had been caught up in a bloody war! Brothers and fathers had been butchered. Homes burned. Crops spoiled. Poor villages pillaged.
Whenever I think of a typical crib scene, you know the ones, with three wise men bowing, Mary and Joseph standing around, a donkey… then baby Jesus lying on a bed of straw, it all looks so cosy! Of course, nobody really knows what it was like, but I think you can guess, not many people were feeling sentimental!
The great question is… why did he do it ?!

Why should Jesus come to live among the poor? We know Mary and Joseph continued to live as poor people, since when they presented the sacrifices for Jesus at the Temple, they had to bring a couple of birds… and couldn’t even afford a lamb! Without a doubt, they lived a hard, hard life… that’s very hard for us to imagine! Daily life for them would have meant suffering!
So why did he do it? Why should he suffer? Think about it! Would you choose to go and live somewhere where every day means hard hard work, just to scrape together enough to survive? Where there is no real chance of ever improving things for yourself? Would you do that, if you had the chance to live in comfort forever instead?

This is the Christmas story… that “He came down to earth from heaven, who is Lord and God of all!” Jesus became poor for us! Of course the end of the story is that he did a lot more than become poor! In fact, he even gave up his life – dying on a cross – so that we could have eternal life! Even so, his suffering did not begin on the cross… but from the first day of his life, he knew exactly what it is like to live in a rotten-old-world! He did that, so that people like us… ordinary people… could be saved from our sins! What a joy, to know that when this world is over… it will be heaven to come for everyone who repents of sin and trusts in Him!

Two thousand years ago… the angels were singing at the sight of the really Great King, lying in a manger… the Great Creator… come down to be the Saviour! Now my heart is singing with them at the thought! How would you feel if someone had given up everything to buy you the most amazing Christmas present? Yet that thought doesn’t even come close to what Jesus has done… since Jesus didn’t only give everything up… but he took my place and took the blow from all of God’s anger with my sin!
May this Christmas be a time of singing in your heart as you see your sins taken away by the one who, as the Bible says, “became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

By Tom Drion – Pastor at Grace Life London, in London, England.