Blasted Gourds » Quotes

Peter Jeffery on True Happiness in the New Year

ministerandy — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:55:42 +0000

WORDS OF LIFE PSALM 1
In the Psalms ‘blessed’ means happy, so Psalm 1 is telling us
what is necessary to make a man happy.
At this time of the year you will be wishing friends a happy
New Year and they will be doing the same to you. The words
give a certain amount of pleasure, but what exactly do they
mean?
They generally mean that we hope that the circumstances
of life will shine favourably upon our loved ones. For most
people happiness depends entirely upon circumstances. This
is a fallacy, but people believe it, with the result that happiness
becomes a fleeting allusion, always dancing in and out
of our lives and never constant or permanent.
For the psalmist happiness is independent of circumstances and
depends upon our relationship with God.
The happy man does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
(v. 1) — he does not take his standards and lifestyle from the
current whims of the world.
So what is it that makes him happy? We are told in verse 2.
He has a standard that does not change. He takes God seriously.
Because of this he has stability (v. 3) and is not shaken
by every adverse circumstance.
Here is a good thought to start the new year with — be
determined that you will take God seriously. Don’t be like so
many who just play around with Christianity as if it is a Sunday
hobby.
Give more time to God so that your private devotions are
not a duty but a delight.
Learn to enjoy God. If you do this you will find that your
whole spiritual life will take on a new dimension and God will
be your happiness. Happy New Year.

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Pride and Humility by JC Ryle

ministerandy — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:39:05 +0000

I found this a very helpful reminder:

Do you want to know the root and spring of humility?
One word describes it. The root of humility is right knowledge.

The person who really knows himself and his own heart,
who knows God and his infinite majesty and holiness,
who knows Christ and the price at which he was redeemed,
that person will never be a proud person.

He will count himself, like Jacob, unworthy of the least
of all God’s mercies. He will say of himself, like Job,
“I am unworthy.” He will cry, like Paul, “I am the worst
of sinners” He will consider others better than himself
(Philippians 2:3).

Ignorance–nothing but sheer ignorance, ignorance of
self, of God, and of Christ–is the real secret of pride.

From that miserable self-ignorance may we daily pray
to be delivered. The wise person knows himself and
will find nothing within to make him proud.

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Quote: John MacArthur on Selfishness

ministerandy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:10:13 +0000

Selfishness is one telltale sign of immaturity. Babies are completely self-centered. They scream if they don’t get what they want when they want it. All they are aware of are their own needs and desires. They never say thanks for anything. They can’t help others; they can’t give anything. They can only receive.

And certainly there’s nothing wrong with that when it occurs in the natural stage of infancy. But to see a child whose development is arrested so that he never gets beyond that stage of helpless selfishness—that is a tragedy.

And that is exactly the spiritual state of multitudes in the church today. They are utterly preoccupied with self. They want their own problems solved and their own comfort elevated. Their spiritual development is arrested, and they remain in a perpetual state of selfish helplessness. It is evidence of a tragic abnormality.

From an article “The Marks of Immaturity”

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Quote on Local Church by Mack Tomlinson

ministerandy — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:40:21 +0000

The Local Church
If you neglect the church, you neglect your soul. Your attitude towards the priority of a local church reveals much about the condition of your soul and whether you are really part of the body of Christ. One of the first signs of backsliding toward apostasy is neglecting meeting with the brethren faithfully. If you don’t love the church that Christ died for, then it’s an evidence that you’re probably unregenerate. You cannot be connected to the Vine without being among the branches.
Can you say honestly with your heart: “I need my church?” If you have access to a Biblical church, you are without excuse if you neglect it.

-Mack Tomlinson

(HT:JF)

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Quote: Spurgeon on True Worship

ministerandy — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:11:56 +0000

It is not your worshipping God by words in hymns and prayers, or sitting in a certain place, or covering your faces at certain times that is acceptable to him; true worship lies in your heart paying reverence to him, your soul obeying him, and your inner nature coming into conformity to his own nature, by the work of his Spirit in your soul; and because men can scarcely get the idea of this till the Holy Spirit gives it to them, this is a reason why it is so rare, so exceedingly rare.

Charles Spurgeon

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Quote: Francis Chan on Introspection for the Theologically Blessed

ministerandy — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:20:37 +0000

What would be worse? If there was a church with terrible teaching and therefore there was very little Christians action? Or if there was a church with wonderful Biblical teaching and yet there was little Christian action?

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Quotes: CS Lewis on Love

ministerandy — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:58:41 +0000

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

We were not meant to keep our life and heart intact, but to be broken and redeemed.

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Quotes: Deepish Thoughts by Andy

ministerandy — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:07:00 +0000

Why is it that when Mothers watch their children it is called being a mom, but when Fathers watch their children it is often referred to as babysitting, instead of being a dad?

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Quotes: Peter Jeffery on Preaching

ministerandy — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:32:48 +0000

I have grown up under experiential or applicational preaching. I was trained that preaching needed to be expository and applicational. After 16 years of preaching and 10 years of full time ministry, I have been accused of being too applicational and I have been accused of not being applicational. Sometimes fairly, I am sure, and sometime unfairly. I always seek to improve, but I was reminded of a great truth today in reading Peter Jeffery. Sometimes the feeling that the sermon did not have enough application is not the preachers fault. The application of God’s Word will not be powerful unless God is known by the hearer.

It is not unusual today to hear Christians complain of the lack of application in the sermons they hear. This may be fair comment. A preacher who fails to apply the Scriptures to the present needs of his congregation is failing miserably. Preaching is more than teaching facts. But while we accept this, it must be said that we cannot apply what we do not know. Teaching and Bible knowledge are essential for every Christian, otherwise preaching would only be supplying painkillers to deal with a single present problem and not also giving great biblical principles that enable hearers to cope with every situation. There is a great danger that we are producing a generation of spoon-fed Christians who cannot think for themselves and need everything spelt out for them. This produces endless backslidings and insecure believers. JC Ryle puts his finger on the point when he asks, ‘What right have we to wonder that we feel so little comfort in our Christianity? Our slight and imperfect knowledge of Christ is the true reason for our discomfort. The root of happy religion is clear, distinct, well-defined knowledge of Jesus Christ.”

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Quote: Methodology

ministerandy — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:58:15 +0000

Methodology is not theologically neutral. Our methods teach theology. Loudly. “What you win them by, you win them to.” (James M. Boice)

(ht:ld)

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