Clipmarks | johnyeun's clips

The End of Knowledge

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:14:32 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: colored3x5s.livejournal.com

In an article called “The End of Learning,” historian Russell Kirk writes: “The sage knows that life begins and ends in mystery. And he apprehends the end of genuine learning, which begins in the fear of God. That end is to know God and enjoy Him forever.” Kirk is carefully distinguishing the sage — a truly wise person — from the intellectual. An intellectual is a person who is “puffed up with pride,” one who pursues knowledge only for the reputation it gives him or her.

Both the sage and the intellectual pursue knowledge, but for different reasons.

Life in the Kingdom

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:37:17 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: firstimportance.org

Life in the Kingdom

“At its core, life in the kingdom is not so much about pursuing a thing; it is about pursuing a person. It is about having the eyes of my heart focused on Christ. It is about a soul filled with appreciation and brimming with affection. It is walking around astounded that he would place his affection on me and even received my flawed love. It is living with the hope that someday we will no longer be separated; someday I will be united to him and live with him forever.”

- Paul David Tripp, A Quest for More (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007), 168.

Christian Meekness

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:25:54 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: mlj-usa.com

July 11

The enigma of faith

This Beatitude [Blessed are the meek], this particular description of the Christian, causes real surprise because it is so completely and entirely opposed to everything which the natural man thinks. 'Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.' World conquest—possession of the whole universe—given to the meek, of all people! The world thinks in terms of strength and power, of ability, self-assurance and aggressiveness. That is the world's idea of conquest and possession. The more you assert yourself and express yourself, the more you organize and manifest your powers and ability, the more likely you are to succeed and get on. But here comes this astounding statement, 'Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth'—and they alone. Once more, then, we are reminded ... that the Christian is altogether different from the world.

Tebow's Testimony

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:18:28 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.xanga.com

"Everybody is telling me I've made it," Tebow told the inmates. "They tell me, 'Tim, you have success and you've made it.' I've won the Heisman Trophy, so I've got it made, right? One day, people are going to forget about me. One day, people are going to forget about the Heisman Trophy, the jump pass and the national championship. One day, this [championship] ring is going to rust. There are only four things that are going to last forever: God, his word, people and rewards."

"Because of my name recognition and because of who I am, I've been given an opportunity to go places where most other people can't go," Tebow said. "I can go into prisons and speak, and no one will say anything. I can go into schools and speak, and they'll love to have me. I can go to all these different places because of who I am as a football player. That's a platform the Lord has given me, and I think it's my responsibility to take advantage of it."

Sin Lives in a Costume

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:38:37 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: theologica.blogspot.com

Sin lives in a costume, that's why it's so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party.

Impatient yelling wears the costume of a zeal for truth.
Lust can masquerade as a love for beauty.
Gossip does its evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer.
Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership.
Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart.
The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom.

Evil simply doesn't present itself as evil, which is part of its draw.

What does all of this mean? It means that accurate-self assessment is the product of grace. It is only in the mirror of God's Word and with the sight-giving help of the Holy Spirit, that I am able to see myself as I actually am.

On Prayer

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:49:28 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: teampyro.blogspot.com

I've made sufficient peace with that issue on two fronts:

God says to do it (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17, etc. ad inf). If I believe Him, that's sufficient in itself. If I don't believe Him, nothing will suffice.
God carries out His sovereign will through means. My prayers are parts of those means (cf. Ezekiel 36:37-38). It isn't mine to divine His sovereign will, but to pursue His revealed will (Deuteronomy 29:29, and see #1 above).

HSAT (Having Said All That), I have also noticed the most remarkable occasions in Scripture when what God had been going to do is presented as influenced by human prayer. Now, I don't want to over-theologize it (and will resist that in the meta). If God says A, and a human says oh please, do B; and God says OK, I'll do B, then He meant to do B all along — and meant to do it in response to human petition. Plus as an added bonus, He meant to do the petitioner good by involving him or her in the process.

"Personl Fulfillment" ???

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:49:07 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.google.com

Dorothy was a woman who knew the secret of true “personal fulfillment.” A single mom whose husband left her with a son to raise, Dorothy didn’t spend time worrying about herself. Instead, she was always serving and caring for others. I knew her because she was my Sunday School teacher. And Dorothy was one of the most joyful women I knew.

At my bridal shower everyone wrote down a piece of advice on a slip of paper. I only remember one, and it was Dorothy’s. Her secret to a fulfilled life? “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

If we want “personal fulfillment" as women, we must not follow our culture’s prescription of selfishness. Rather, we must lose our life for Christ's sake. Then, amazingly, we'll find that our world expands. We'll know the thrill of seeing the fruit of our sacrificial service in the lives of those around us. So for true "personal fulfillment," let’s follow Dorothy’s example as she followed Christ.

Giver of Life

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:24:47 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: mlj-usa.com

There is nothing of which this modern generation needs to be reminded so much as just this ... we have forgotten ... that the things we enjoy in this life are the gift of God.... How often do we thank God for the gift of life itself?

it is God who has given us the gift of life and being and existence. It is a tremendous conception. We are not merely individuals thrown up or thrown out by an evolutionary process. God is concerned about us one by one. We should never have come into this world if God had not willed it. We must take a firm hold and grasp of this great principle. There should never be a day in our lives when we fail to thank God for the gift of life and food and existence, and the marvel and wonder of the body that He has given us. These things are solely and entirely His gift. And, of course, if we fail to realize that, we shall fail everywhere.

Character

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:45:42 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.leaderu.com

A Tree Of Righteousness

A growing percentage of Christians, and even many unbelievers, think that believing in Christ should put an end to our struggle with sin.

But that is a lie.

God is interested in something much more important than our comfort - He is intent upon developing His eternal character within us. And He uses our daily struggles with the flesh to shape and define that character. God can and does use struggle and conflict to bring forth His glory in us.

As A. H. Strong once wrote:

"A student asked the president of his school whether he could take a shorter course than the one prescribed.

"Oh yes," replied the president. "But then it depends on what you want to be. When God wants to make an oak, He takes a hundred years. But when He wants to make a squash, He takes six months."

I hope you want to be an oak.

dead to life

Thu, 08 May 2008 07:18:33 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.google.com

You see God was not shut down by our failure. Nor did the consequences of our rebellion dim his beautiful heart of love. No, we were the ones shut down when sin caused our souls to die. And die we did. It’s bad news, death.

Because dead people can’t see. Can’t breathe. Can’t help themselves. Dead people can’t do anything. That is why they call him Savior. When we were dead and could not touch God, Jesus came down and touched us.

It is the most phenomenal thing that has or will ever happen to you and me. Divinity rushing into humanity. God in skin marching steadily to the beat of his own love. And nothing and no one could alter his course.”

- Louie Giglio, “Remembering the Silence”

Music

Wed, 07 May 2008 23:22:56 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.desiringgod.org

William Law in his spiritual classic, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, has a whole chapter to encourage us to chant the psalms in our private devotions. He says,

Just as singing is a natural effect of joy in the heart so it has also a natural power of rendering the heart joyful . . . There is nothing that so clears a way for your prayers, nothing that so disperses dullness of heart, nothing that so purifies the soul from poor and little passions, nothing that so opens heaven, or carries your heart so near it, as these songs of praise.
They create a sense and delight in God, they awaken holy desires, they teach you how to ask, and they prevail with God to give. They kindle a holy flame, they turn your heart into an altar, your prayers into incense, and carry them as a sweet-smelling savor to the throne of grace. (pp. 168, 164)

accountability

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:31:56 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.google.com

Applying the Heat

According to Alan Medinger (quoted in Harris’ book) an accountability relationship is “one in which a Christian gives permission to another believer to look into his life for purposes of questioning, challenging, admonishing, advising, encouraging and otherwise providing input in ways that will help the individual live according to the Christian principles they both hold.” These relationships are one in which Christians apply heat to each others lives. They ask tough questions, probing questions, potentially humiliating questions, in order to find evidence of sin. Because we often have trouble seeing the sin in our own lives, we ask others to seek it out on our behalf.

global warming?

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:47:17 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.boundlessline.org

All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously.... The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to erase nearly all the global warming recorded over the past 100 years.

Atonement

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:07:58 GMT

clipped by: johnyeun

Clip Source: www.xanga.com

In 1919 the Student Christian Movement defined the significance of the atonement (the cross) as follows: "It is only as we see on Calvary the price of suffering paid day by day by God himself for all human sin, that we can enter into the experience of true penitence and forgiveness, which sets us free to embark upon a wholly new way of life. This is the meaning of the Atonement." But we must respectfully disagree, because the meaning of the atonement is not to be found in our penitence evoked by the sight of Calvary, but rather in what God did when in Christ on the cross he took our place and bore our sin.