Heart Soul and Might

Scottish theologian Sinclair Ferguson notes,

“The evangelical orientation is inward and subjective. we are far better at looking inward than we are at looking outward. Instead, we need to expend our energies admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ.”

C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross-Centered Life, p. 40.

From C.J. Mahaney in Living the Cross-Centered Life. (sounds a bit like Fenelon??):

On a daily basis we’re faced with two simple choices. We can either listen to ourselves, and our constantly changing feelings about our circumstances, or we can talk to ourselves about the unchanging truth of who God is and what He’s accomplished for us at the cross through His Son Jesus.

C.J. Mahaney, Living the Cross-Centered Life, p. 38.

Here are some great quotes concerning the Gospel from the Together for The Gospel Blog:

“If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” (Augustine)

“The whole gospel is contained in Christ.” (John Calvin)

“Whenever the gospel is preached it is as if God himself came into the midst of us.” (John Calvin)

“There is nothing attractive about the gospel to the natural man; the only man who finds the gospel attractive is the man who is convicted of sin.” (Oswald Chambers)

“A gospel that elevates man and dethrones God is not the gospel.” (Will Metzger)

“The world has many religions; it has but one gospel.” (George Owen)

“The man who does not glory in the gospel can surely know little of the plague of sin that is within him. (J.C. Ryle)

“The revelation of the gospel is to a world that is already under indictment for its universal rejection of God the Father.” (R.C. Sproul)

“If the Lord’s bearing our sin for us is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize; there is nothing in the gospel of which we have any cause to be ashamed.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“The gospel is a glorious declaration of the mighty acts of God when he invaded this earth in the person of his eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (John Blanchard)

“The gospel is not ‘God loves us,’ but ‘God loves us at the cost of his Son.’” (Derek Thomas)

“As there is only one God, so there can be only one gospel.” (James Denney)

“The church is the fruit of the gospel.” (Hywel R. Jones)

“We have an unchanging gospel, which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay; but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

“The gospel begins and ends with what God is, not what we want or think we need.” (Tom Houston)

And some more quotes from the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

“Never lose heart in the power of the gospel. Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted.” (CHS)

“Let this be to you the mark of true gospel preaching - where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where it is salvation all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus.” (CHS)

“If God does not save men by truth, he certainly will not save them by lies. And if the old gospel is not competent to work a revival, then we will do without the revival.” (CHS)

“On Christ, and what he has done, my soul hangs for time and eternity. And if your soul also hangs there, it will be saved as surely as mine shall be. And if you are lost trusting in Christ, I will be lost with you and will go to hell with you. I must do so, for I have nothing else to rely upon but the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived, died, was buried, rose again, went to heaven, and still lives and pleads for sinners at the right hand of God.” (CHS)

HT: Together for the Gospel 

Mark Dever posts a great article on Christianity Today here, unpacking the cross and Christ’s work of atonement in a wonderful way. He addresses opponents of the cross and provides sound ways to refute arguments against a correct theology of the atonement. It’s a great read.

As we reflect on Christ’s work on the cross this holy weekend, I offer the lyric to this song again and pray it inspires to you to live a cross-centered life.

In the Cross Alone I Glory

In the cross alone I glory
Recognition laying down
Greatest treasures count as worthless
Standing next to heaven’s crowns
Standing next to heaven’s crowns

In the cross alone I glory
Ever reaching for the prize
Pressing on and laying hold of
That for which my Savior died
That for which my Savior died

Chorus:
In the cross alone I glory
Nothing of my own to give
Only that which Christ has offered
For my soul that I may live
For my soul that I may live

In the cross alone I glory
Holding fast the word of life
Toiling not in vain but being
Poured out as a sacrifice
Poured out as a sacrifice

Never will I seek the glory
That was never meant for me
Always heavenward reflecting
All to Jesus to receive
All to Jesus to receive

Chorus:
In the cross alone I glory
Nothing of my own to give
Only that which Christ has offered
For my soul that I may live
For my soul that I may live

words and music by Brian Petak, © 2005 Worshiptogether.com songs

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. (Everyone should have a little Fenelon with their coffee in the morning…) Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he died.

How to Bear Suffering Peacefully

Concerning our friend, I pray that God will give him a simplicity of trust that will bring him peace. When we are careful to instantly let go of all needless worries and restless thoughts, (that is self-centered thoughts, rather than loving, outgoing ones), then we shall find ourselves on plateaus of peace even in the midst of the straight and narrow. We shall find ourselves walking in the freedom and innocent peace of the children of God, not lacking wholesome relationships either toward God or man.

I am willing to apply to myself the same advice that I give to others, for I am convinced that I must seek my own peace in the same direction. Even now my soul is suffering, but I am aware that it is the life of self which causes us pain; that which is dead does not suffer. If we were really dead, and our life hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), we would no longer struggle with those pains in spirit that now afflict us. So we must learn to bear all sufferings with composure, even those which come upon us through no fault of our own. But we must beware of that restlessness of spirit which might be our own fault. We can add to our God-given cross by agitated resistence and an unwillingness to suffer: This is simply an evidence of the remaining life of self.

A cross which comes from God ought to be welcomed without any concern for self. And when you accept your cross this way, even though it is painful, you will find that you can bear it in peace. But when you receive your cross unwillingly, you will find it to be doubly severe. The resistance within is harder to bear than the cross itself! But if you recognize the hand of God, and make no opposition to His Will, you will have peace in the midst of affliction.

Francois Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon, Let Go pp.2-3.

This may be one of the Fenelon passages that has affected me most deeply over the years. God gives all of us crosses to bear in order to draw us closer to Him - indeed to make us more like Christ. Some crosses seem more like actual “suffering” than others, but each is a cross nonetheless. In my journey, I have been under the weight of some pretty heavy crosses at times, although I readily admit that the weight of the cross we bear is all relative to our experience as well as our capacity to bear. The lesson I’ve learned from Fenelon is that rather than focusing on either the cross, or the one inflicting my suffering, focusing on Christ and bearing each cross in peace really refines the spirit and brings about many wonderful benefits like endurance, perseverance, patience, steadfastness - and ultimately greater spritual maturity.

My problem at times has been, in the midst of the trial or suffering - I’ve often focused way too much attention on either the one causing the pain, or my poor wounded spirit - neither of which allows for much spiritual growth. In fact, spending much time ruminating on my affliction is a good sign that I’m too worried about “self” to be looking for ways God can be glorified even in the face of the difficult circumstances. This is where “self-love” needs to find death. Why spend so much time and energy thinking about how my rights have been violated when bearing an affliction in peace and with patience can allow God to do what He’s ultimately going to do anyway? We just cause it to take longer the more we fight it.

It really comes down to a paradigm shift away from self-centered living to God-centered living. I am still very much in process here. Self-centered living won’t allow me to bear suffering peacefully because my pride cries out for satisfaction and attention. It’s been the hardest lesson of my life to remain silent at times and bear something peacefully. Sometimes it even causes physical pain! But I have come to find that God is faithful and He will honor this kind of living. It’s His purpose. To refine us into Himself, and ultimately to more fully reveal His glory. That makes it worth it.

C.J. Mahaney quotes this phrase by C.H. Spurgeon in his book Living the Cross Centered Life - and it’s really impacted me as I’ve considered what it means to live a life that is centered on the cross. Actually, the entire quote from Spurgeon is “Abide hard by the cross and search the mystery of His wounds.” Spending considerable amounts of time ruminating on, dwelling in and meditating on the significance of the cross and how it deeply impacts not merely life on earth but more imporantly our eternal destinies.

How do we search the mystery of His wounds? What is this mystery and how do we go about uncovering it? Mahaney says this:

“Behind Christ’s wounds are mysteries, mysteries that are revealed in Scripture. So we want to look carefully and study closely the purpose of our Savior’s sufferings, from His agonized prayer in the garden to His cry of forsakenness on the cross. We want to look with more depth and detail at why He suffered and what He uniquely accomplished by His suffering in relation to God and for the sinner.”

Living the Cross Centered Life, p. 47.

This requires that we carefully search Scripture and allow the writers of God’s Word to reveal more fully what is behind these mysteries. The Gospels obviously have a lot to say as they depict Christ’s crucifixion. But probably the most graphic passage comes from the Old Testament - Isaiah 53. In Isaiah’s prophesy, he’s very detailed and graphic in his characterization of the sufferings of Christ, in his words some of the mystery is revealed.

Isaiah 53

1Who has believed what they heard from us?^[a]
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3He was despised and rejected^[b] by men;
a man of sorrows,^[c] and acquainted with^[d] grief;^[e]
and as one from whom men hide their faces^[f]
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;

Part of the mystery is revealed in Isaiah 53:5 - it was His inflictions that brought us peace. And it was by His wounds that we are healed. A part of the revelation to the mystery of His wounds is that His blood, His scars, His suffering… have brought peace and healing to humanity. Is there peace that you sense, see or experience that comes from anything other than the Cross? No! Is there any healing ultimately available from any other source than Christ’s suffering, torture and death? No - it doesn’t exist except by the power of the Cross.

Spurgeon described this Isaiah 53 passage as “the Bible in miniature and the Gospel in essence.” Knowing what we can experience through the unmerited grace and overwhelming mercy obtained by the Cross, this passage while grotesque and apalling, is at the same time wonderfully beautiful. But apart from a saving faith in Christ based on His work on the cross, it doesn’t make sense. And if not for the beauty of a prophesy fulfilled, it seems ludicrous. Because a man shouldn’t be disfigured beyond recognition if He’s a savior. He shouldn’t be despised and rejected. Mahaney says this:

“By divine design the gospel is foolishness to all who through pride are governed by the wisdom of this world, restricted to human observation and impressed only by outward appearance.” p. 52.

But its real. It’s profound. It’s life-changing. And, yes it most definitely should change the way we live because it puts everything in life in the perspective of the cross.

This is Mark Dever in response to C.J. Mahaney’s question “What is the gospel” on Together For the Gospel blog:

I think Augustine said somewhere that the cross was a pulpit in which Christ preached his love to the world.  I can’t remember (or just don’t know) where he said this.  If someone could supply me with a reference (Lig?) I’d appreciate it.  Anyway, that expression is a succinct way of drawing our attention to the holiness of God (a sacrifice was needed), His love (he provided the sacrifice), our sinfulness (we’ve been separated from God by our sin), His provision in Christ (his life and death) and our response (we need to hear this word preached and respond to it in repentance and faith).  So there it is–the gospel is about our holy and loving God, creator and judge, His creation of us in His image, our sin against Him, His amazing provision of us in Christ, whose life, death and resurrection was for us.  He then calls all who hear this message to turn away from their sins and trust in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins, restoration of a relationship with God, and even adoption as His children, now and forever!

I REALLY enjoy this blog. I love peering into this conversation that goes back and forth between these top-shelf scholars, moderated by my latest favorite author, C.J. Mahaney.

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. (Everyone should have a little Fenelon with their coffee in the morning…) Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he died.

The Death of Self 

I cannot express to you how deeply I sympathize with you in your time of suffering. I suffer right along with you, but still, it cheers me up to know that God loves you.

And the very proof that God loves you is that He does not spare you, but lays upon you the cross of Jesus Christ. Whatever spiritual knowledge or feelings we may have, they are all a delusion if they do not lead us to the real and constant practice of dying to self. And it is true that we do not die without suffering. Nor is it possible to be considered truly dead while there is any part of us which is yet alive. This spiritual death (which is really a blessing in disguise) is undeniably painful. It cuts “swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are.” The great Physician who sees in us what we cannot see, knows exactly where to place the knife. He cuts away that which we are most reluctant to give up. And how it hurts! But we must remember that pain is only felt where there is life, and where there is life is just the place where death is needed. Our Father wastes no time by cutting into parts which are already dead. Do not misunderstand me; He wants you to live abundantly, but this can only be accomplished by allowing Him to cut into that fleshly part of you which is still stubbornly clinging to life. Don’t expect God to deal with those vulgar, wicked desires which you renounced forever when you gave yourself away to Him. That part of you is already dead. But, He will deal with the parts of you that are still alive. He might even test your faith with restrictions and trials of all kinds.

Should you resist? Certainly not! You must learn to suffer all things! The death of self must be voluntary, and it can only be accomplished as far as you allow. Anyone who resists death and repels its advances shows that he is not willing to die. You must be willing to yield to the will of God whenever He decides to remove from you all of the props on which you have leaned.

Do you fear that He may not be able to supply to you from Himself that help which He may have taken away on the human level? And why does He take human help away, except to supply you from Himself, and to purify you by the painful lesson?

So give yourself up to His plans. Allow yourself to be led wherever He wants to lead you. And be careful to not seek help from your friends if God is forbidding it. Your friends can only give you what He gives them for you. Why be so concerned about the dried up streams when the rivers of living water are so available?

Francois Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon, Let Go pp.7-8.

I’m reading C.J. Mahaney’s great little book Living the Cross Centered Life and am finding it a rich and powerful read. Al Mohler says in the foreward: “I need to warn you that reading this book will not be a safe and static experience. After all, the cross isn’t about playing it safe; it’s about being found safe in Christ - and that is the most exhilarating experience a human can ever know.”

Here is what Mahaney says might be some symptoms of not living a cross centered life:

• You often lack joy.
• You’re not consistently growing in spiritual maturity
• Your love for God lacks passion
• You’re always looking for some new technique, some “new truth” or new experience to pull all the pieces of your faith together.

He then says that if you learn to live a cross centered life, you’ll learn…

• how to break free from joy-robbing, legalistic thinking and living
• how to leave behind the crippling effects of guilt and condemnation
• how to stop basing your faith on your emotions and circumstances
• how to grow in gratefulness, joy and holiness

I definitely want to live a cross centered life - a life that walks in all the power and promise that Christ gives us through His work on the cross. Life has meaning lived in this way. There is really no other way to live.

This is written by Bob Kauflin at Worship Matters and is great stuff…
This comes from the prayer “Reproofs” in The Valley of Vision:

Teach me how to take reproofs from friends,
Even though I think I do not deserve them;
Use them to make me tenderly afraid of sin,
More jealous over myself,
More concerned to keep heart and life unblameable.
Cause them to help me reflect on my want of spirituality,
To abhor myself, to look upon myself as unworthy,
And make them beneficial to my soul.
May all your people know how little, mean, and vile I am,
That they may see I am nothing, less than nothing,
To be accounted nothing,
That so they may pray for me aright,
And have not the least dependence upon me.

In His mercy, God often sends people into our lives who courageously, if not always kindly, give us some form of correction. One of the indicators of maturity is how quickly and joyfully we welcome that kind of input.

I often respond immediately with justifying or blame shifting words, explaining why I took a particular course of action or made a specific comment. I’m quick to speak and very slow to listen. I want this conversation to be finished as soon as possible. In my worst moments, I start to judge the person giving me input, imagining all kinds of reasons why their judgment is faulty. “They don’t even know me…they haven’t seen all the other times I’ve been right…how do they know what’s in my heart?…they’re MUCH more guilty than I am in this area…someone else made me do it…I was tired/hungry/distracted/unaware…” My list of excuses is lengthy, thorough, and compelling. At least in MY eyes.

But in God’s eyes, every person who brings me a rebuke is His messenger, sent to help me conform me to the image of His Son. So why do I despise correction?

It’s simple. I don’t believe what God has said about me in the cross. I think there must be some aspect of my life, however small or pitiful, that is praiseworthy, meritorious, and beyond inspection. Alfred Poirier, in his very helpful article, The Cross and Criticism, provides this life-changing perspective:

“In light of God’s judgment and justification of the sinner in the cross of Christ, we can begin to discover how to deal with any and all criticism. By agreeing with God’s criticism of me in Christ’s cross, I can face any criticism man may lay against me. In other words, no one can criticize me more than the cross has. And the most devastating criticism turns out to be the finest mercy. If you thus know yourself as having been crucified with Christ, then you can respond to any criticism, even mistaken or hostile criticism, without bitterness, defensiveness, or blameshifting. Such responses typically exacerbate and intensify conflict, and lead to the rupture of relationships. You can learn to hear criticism as constructive and not condemnatory because God has justified you.”

What a thought. We can receive criticism graciously because God, who knows our wickedness as no one else, has fully forgiven and justified us. We will never be brought into condemnation! (Rom. 8:1) So we can confidently pray with the Puritan in The Valley of Vision:

Give me such vivacity in religion,
That I may be able to take all reproofs from other men as from your hands,
And glorify you for them from a sense of your beneficent love
And of my need to have my pride destroyed.

Oh, how we need to have our pride destroyed! What agents of God’s care will we encounter this week? Will we recognize them as tools in God’s hands, or view them as enemies to resist? How will we respond to input, feedback, and observations? May God help us to see each person who corrects us as a gift from his loving, wise, and sovereign hand, sent to make us more like His precious Son.

Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. (Psa. 141:5)

HT: Worship Matters (written by Bob Kauflin)

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. (Everyone should have a little Fenelon with their coffee in the morning…) Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he died.

The Purpose of Suffering

God never makes you suffer unnecessarily. He intends for your suffering to heal and purify you. The hand of God hurts you as little as it can.

Anxiety brings suffering. Sometimes you are simply unwilling to suffer, and you end up resisting God’s work. If you put away all your restless longings and your anxiety, you will experience the peace and freedom that God gives to His children. The yoke that God gives is easy to bear if you accept it without struggling to escape. You make life more painful for yourself when you resist God in the least way.

Usually you bargain with God to set a limit on your suffering. The same inward waywardness that makes the work of the cross unnecessary in your life is what will try to push the cross away. God has to start over with you every time you push Him away.

Sometimes God takes away His gifts until you can possess them purely. Otherwise, they will poison you. It is rare to hold God’s gifts without possessiveness. You think everything is for you. You do not think first of the glory of God or you would not become depressed when your visible blessings vanish. The truth is, you are mostly concerned with yourself. Self-love is proud of its spiritual accomplishments. You must lose everything to find God for Himself alone.

Don’t waste your suffering. Let suffering accomplish what God wants it to in your life. Never get so hard that you suffer for no reason and for no purpose.

Francois Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon, The Seeking Heart, pp.30-32.

I found out today that you must be a worshiptogether.com newsletter subscriber to download “In the Cross Alone I Glory” for free. You can sign up for the newsletter and then download the song.

If you are unable to download it, or don’t want to sign up for the newsletter - but still want to listen to the song… Please email me at bpetak@fbctn.org and I’ll send you an .mp3.

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we’ll drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. (Everyone should have a little Fenelon with their coffee in the morning…) Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he died. He has radically transformed my life.

The Value of the Cross

Do you wonder why God has to make it so hard on you? Why doesn’t he make you good without making you miserable in the meantime? Of course He could, but He does not choose to do so. He wants you to grow a little at a time and not burst into instant maturity. This is what He has decided and you can only adore His wisdom - even when you don’t understand it.

I am awed by what suffering can produce. You and I are nothing without the cross. I agonize and cry when the cross is working within me, but when it is over I look back in admiration for what God has accomplished. Of course I am then ashamed that I bore it so poorly. I have learned so much from my foolish reactions.

You yourself must endure the painful process of change. There is much more at work here than your instant maturity. God wants to build a relationship with you that is based on faith and trust and not on glamorous miracles.

God uses the disappointments, disillusionments, and failures of your life to take your trust away from yourself and help you put your trust in Him.

…You do not see with the eyes of eternity. God knows everything. Nothing happens without His consent. You are upset by small losses, but do not see the eternal gains! Don’t dwell on your suffering. Your oversensitivity makes your trials worse. Abandon yourself to God.

…My God, help us to see Jesus as our model in all suffering. You nailed Him to the cross for us. You make Him a man of sorrows to teach us how useful sorrow is. Give us a heart to turn our backs on ourselves and trust only in You.

Francois Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon, The Seeking Heart, pp. 25-26.

I think the timing on this is interesting, but nothing is coincidental in God’s world. Justin Taylor posted today a quote from John Owen’s Indwelling Sin based on Galatians 6:14, entitled “Glory in the Cross.” Read it here.