C. H. Spurgeon
The cross of Christ is in itself an offence to the world; let us take heed that we add no offence of our own.
Coffee Break – 09.03.2018
Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration
On this day in history: In 1189, England’s King Richard I was crowned in Westminster. In 1783, the Revolutionary War between the U.S. and Great Britain ended with the Treaty of Paris. And in 1954, The Lone Ranger was heard on radio for the final time after 2,956 episodes over a period of 21 years.
Today Is Labor Day in the US!
Enjoy a day free from labor!
How To Brew Espresso In A Moka Pot – Moka pots are one of the most underrated items in most coffee brewing arsenals. I have one, and didn’t use it much, but once I learned how to use it properly, it can make some amazing coffee. You can get one at Amazon.
10 Questions To Test Your Style Knowledge – Just how stylish do you think you are? There are a lot of men who need to pay more attention to this area of their lives.
The Top Ten Most Important Ancient Documents Lost To History – I found this to be completely fascinating, but I wonder just how some of these qualify as “most important.” That seems pretty subjective. Nevertheless, it’s very interesting.
Pursuit – This summer has been pretty dry where I live, but the past week has brought in a few scattered showers. This storm footage, while violent, is strangely appealing right now.
What makes a leader is character. What makes a non-leader is ego.
Ray Ortlund
Threats And Gifts
Matthew 2:7-12
The second chapter of Matthew chapter two began by introducing the magi into the storyline. As they journey toward the Messiah, they seek help from Herod, who would rather eliminate any opposition to his power.
The visit of the magi gave Herod the information he needed. He now knew where the Messiah was to be born, confirmed by the chief priests and scribes. Now, he decides to interrogate the magi further, to determine just when the star appeared. The purpose of this question was to find the age of Jesus, to narrow down his search. He was clever and crafty, but he sought Christ with wrong motives. His ingenuity was impressive, using the resources at his disposal, both the magi and the religious leaders, to discover the exact timing of the birth of Jesus.
From here, his deceit only gets worse. Herod sent them to Bethlehem. His goal was to use the magi to even further narrow his search for the child. His purpose was to find and kill the baby King, not worship Him! According to Jewish history, Herod had Aristobulus, the high priest, drowned by his companions while bathing. His political aspirations knew no bounds, using even religion to gain his own desires.
The magi continued on, probably suspecting the true nature of Herod. This would be confirmed to them by God later. For now, they continued to follow the star. In verse 9, Matthew states that it “stood over the place where the Child was.” For a star or planet to stand over any place or person, it must be in the zenith and have an altitude of ninety degrees. Even then, the distance is so great that it would be difficult to see it point to one specific location, even if it were a bright conjunction of planets. God can, and has, used naturally occurring events to make himself known, but this is probably a completely supernatural event, for the sole purpose of special revelation. Guided by such a star, the magi found Bethlehem by night and rejoiced.
Following God Into The Unexpected
Where God Leads We Must Follow
Sometimes God does things that catch you completely by surprise. When times like that happen, what do you do? You follow, of course.
That is exactly what has happened to us over the last few months. God has caught me completely off guard with something that seemingly came out of the blue. And as crazy as it seems, and as hesitant as I have been through the process, I really have no other choice but to follow and trust his leading.
A few months ago, I would have told you that we were in a position in our lives that was long term, and right in the center of God’s will for my family and for my ministry. Little did I know that he had something new and different in store.
Last spring, someone emailed me a link to a church seeking a new minister, thinking I might be a good fit. I immediately deleted it, and gave it no thought at all. But a few months later, during the early part of summer, I received a call from a good friend who attends this church, who also thought that I might be a good fit for this ministry. Now we have had two instances of God bringing this to my attention. Was I supposed to pursue this?
Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:85-88
Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts
The first half of this eleventh stanza was pretty bleak and full of despair. But as it comes to an end, the psalmist seems to turn a corner. Take a look at the latter half of this passage in Psalm 119:85-88:
The psalmist seems to be very depressed. In the first half of the stanza, he wrote of his persecutors and enemies with a bleakness that isn’t matched elsewhere in Psalm 119. And this second half still carries some of those low notes. His enemies have dug pitfalls for him, in order to trap him. He is being persecuted without cause, to the point where he feels like he has nowhere left to run, perhaps even to the point of death.
Those are difficult statements to read, or to hear. But these are probably not foreign thoughts to our own thinking either. In our case, especially in western culture, persecution may not come from specific people, although that is becoming more and more likely, I believe. Our culture has become, and is continuing to become, increasingly intolerant of Christianity. You can see this in the blatant attacks from those who oppose Christianity against those who stand upon their convictions and the principles of our faith.
God invites us to come as we are, not to stay as we are.
Tim Keller