Tag Archives: Ferguson

Counting Blessings… and settling on one

Grace, In Christ,

I was counting blessings today. I don’t know if you do that. But as I was walking from where I park my car to where the church is, I had a really beautiful view of South Hill, with Western Washington University aglow, and the crisp green of trees contrasting the clear blue sky with just an occasional puff of cloud.

I thought, what a blessing. I live in such beauty.

And then, as I strode along, I was thanking God for being healthy. Big long strides, no problem.

What blessings do you count?
What blessings do you count?

And the church came into view, with the sign lit up, and I was praising God for a place to meet, a place to grow. And all the people who He has stirred up to be involved. Great blessing.

And my kids. Hope & Grace are so wonderful. Even when they’re not sleeping. I can’t believe that my wife and I get to raise these precious children.

And my wife. She is such a fantastic companion and helper and friend.

These are real blessings. And there are so many more… a mind to think, fingers to type, air to breathe… endless really.

But I thought if I had to pick one this morning, it would be knowledge.

That’s a funny one, you might say. Aren’t wife and kids and health and job the real blessings? Why would you want to count as your major blessing some dry, intellectual thing like ‘knowledge’?

Well, it is because of the object. I know Jesus. I know, in the way that counts, who he is. What he’s done. I know him relationally. I know him because he’s shown himself to me. I know him when so many people don’t.

Another way to say it is that my major blessing is the Bible. The teaching of the Word. Because the Word of God is about my Savior. The Word of God reveals our need for him, his coming to earth, his life and death for me, his living right now interceding for me, his glorious return. The grace that changes everything comes through this knowledge. 

True, deep, life-changing knowledge of my Savior is the ground of my faith, revealed in the Word, implanted in my heart by the Holy Spirit, and it is all I need for life (2 Peter 1:3). This knowledge drives me to repentence, shapes my actions, motivates my heart, causes me to sing. This knowledge doesn’t make me perfect… but it works on me, and it promises a glorious future.

This is a blessing that can be counted… and is why I love to spend time in my Bible.

In the words of Sinclair Ferguson: “It is essential for us to realize that God’s word is the central gift Christ gives to the church. The major gifts of the New Testament era were given either to write that word (apostles), apply it (prophets) or teach it (pastors and teachers). We must see to it that our gifts are fed on the teaching of Holy Scripture, so that they grow strong and are channelled in the right direction, and so bring glory to Christ.” (Ferguson, Grow in Grace)

Count some blessings with me today… yours may be different than mine… but don’t forget the incredible blessing of our knowledge of our Savior.

Graceful gleanings

Grace, Quotes, ,

Thanks for looking at my bimonthly blog. With great excitement, much planning is being done for a new church plant which will commence in August, 2009… but that has led to a concommitent decrease in thoughts on practical grace.

Which is a bit grevious… my continued walking as a Christian in the depths of Christ, who he is, what he has done and continues to do for us, is both the theme of this site and the single greatest component of my insignificant life.

I was stopped in my tracks last week by this beautiful little book from C.J. Mahaney, titled The Cross Centered Life. It is a small gift book, only 85 pages, but it was wonderfully refreshing. Here is one of his illustrations, along with a few excellent quotes.

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C.J. Mahaney: “On Monday, Alice bought a parrot. It didn’t talk, so the next day she returned to the pet store. “He needs a ladder,” she was told. She bought a ladder, but another day passed and the parrot still didn’t say a word. “How about a swing?” the clerk suggested. So Alice bought a swing. The next day, a mirror. The next day, a miniature plastic tree. The next day, a shiny parrot toy. On Sunday morning, Alice was standing outside the pet store when it opened. She had the parrot cage in her hand and tears in her eyes. Her parrot was dead. “Did it ever say a word?” the store owner asked.

“Yes,” Alice said through her sobs. “Right before he died, he looked at me and asked, ‘Don’t they sell any food at that pet store?'”

Just as no amount of parrot-cage amentities can make up for a lack of parrot food, nothing can replace the gospel in a Christian’s life. Without it our souls will become like Alice’s pet — starving in a crowded cage.” (The Cross Centered Life, 18-19)

 

D. A. Carson, on Paul: “He cannot long talk about Christian joy, or Christian ethics, or Christian fellowship, or the Christian doctrine of God, or anything else, without finally tying it to the cross. Paul is gospel-centered; he is cross centered.” (The Cross & Christian Ministry, 38)

Sinclair Ferguson: “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.”

Also Ferguson: “Our greatest temptation and mistake is to try to smuggle character into God’s work of grace.” (Know Your Christian Life, 73)

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May we continue to grow in the incredible grace and knowledge of our Savior!