Charity

Tiger Woods

From The First Epistle (newsletter of the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, MS) and Ligon Duncan:

Al Mohler has a terrific article on the very sad story of Tiger Woods (The Travail of Tiger Woods - Lessons Not to Be Missed). And C.J. Mahaney has a short piece called "Hunting Tiger Woods" that is well worth all of us pondering - particularly us, Christian men. Here's an excerpt of C.J.'s article (you can read the whole thing at www.sovereigngraceministries.org):

"Hunted by the Media - As expected, the allegations of adultery involving a public figure are attracting a media pile-on. This is a big story with a big audience and it's a story that will not disappear soon. Tiger Woods is being hunted by the media.

"But let us make sure we do not join the hunt. A Christian's response to this story should be distinctly different. We should not be entertained by the news. We should not have a morbid interest in all the details. We should be saddened and sobered. We should pray for this man and even more for his wife.

"And we can be sure that in the coming days we will be in conversations with friends and family where this topic will emerge. And when it does, we can avoid simply listening to the latest details and speculations, and avoid speaking self-righteously, but instead we can humbly draw attention to the grace of God in the gospel.

"Hunted by Sin - But Tiger is being hunted by something more menacing than journalists. Tiger's real enemy is his sin, and that's an enemy much more difficult to discern and one that can't be managed in our own strength. It's an enemy that never sleeps. Let me explain.

"Sin Lies - The Bible in general, and the book of Proverbs in particular, reveals an unbreakable connection between our character, our conduct, and the consequences of our actions. These three are inseparable and woven by God into His created order.

"Deception is part of sin's DNA. Sin lies to us. It seeks to convince us that sin brings only pleasure, that it carries no consequences, and that no one will discover it. Sin works hard to make us forget that character, conduct, and consequences are interconnected. And when we neglect this relationship-when we think our sins will not be discovered-we ultimately mock God.

"Sin Hunts - We've all experienced it: Sin lies to us. We take the bait. And then sin begins to hunt us. One commentator on Proverbs articulated this truth like this: "The irony of a life of rebellion is that we begin by pursuing sin.and end up being pursued by it!..You can 'be sure your sin will find you out' (Num. 32:23.)."* In other words, sin comes back to hunt us.

"In light of this fact, sin is an enemy Tiger can't manage. He can't shape this story like he does a long iron on a par 5. Tiger doesn't need a publicity facelift; Tiger needs a Savior. Just like me. And just like you.

And if by God's grace he repents and trusts in the person and work of Christ, Tiger will experience the fruit of God's promise that "whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).

"Conclusion - Tiger cannot intimidate this enemy like he can Pebble Beach or any of the field of professional golfers. And there is no privacy he can claim from this enemy, regardless of his resolve, his silence, or the name painted on his yacht. It's likely Tiger only perceives the press hunting him out of a vain "curiosity about public figures." But Tiger is being hunted and hounded by a far greater foe: the consequences of his sin.

And this story should humble and sober us. It should make us ask: Are there any so-called "secret sins" in my life? Is there anything I have done that I hope nobody discovers? Is there anything right now in my life that I should confess to God and the appropriate individuals?

And this should leave us more amazed by grace because there, but for the grace of God, go I.

I love people who don't mince words

Context: ridiculously wealthy bankers defending their excessive wealth as the work of the Gospel.

From The National Post:

"Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, told the Sunday Times of London he is 'doing God’s work.' And Goldman international advisor Brian Griffiths was even more explicit in aligning his work in high finance to the 'message' of the Gospels: 'The injunction of Jesus to love others as ourselves is an endorsement of self-interest,' Mr. Griffiths was reported as saying. 'We have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieving greater prosperity and opportunity for all.'

"...Evangelical Christian thinker Alan Jacobs, author of Original Sin, which looks at the reason for inherent evil in the world, was quoted as saying 'I consider the view of those British bankers to be one giant steaming pile of pure unadulterated s---...Those a--holes should read Ezekiel 34 — but of course they won’t think it applies to them.'"

Beautiful.

Prayerlessness is Unbelief

by Kevin DeYoung

Prayer is essential for the Christian, as much for what it says about us as for what it can do through God. The simple act of getting on our knees (or faces or feet or whatever) for 5 or 50 minutes every day is the surest sign of our humility and dependence on our Father in heaven. There may be many reasons for our prayerlessness—time management, busyness, lack of concentration—but most fundamentally, we ask not because we think we need not. or we think God can give not. Deep down we feel secure when we have money in the bank, a healthy report from the doctor, and powerful people on our side. We do not trust in God alone. Prayerlessness is an expression of our meager confidence in God’s ability to provide and of our strong confidence in our ability to take care of ourselves without God’s help.

Too often when we struggle with prayer we focus on the wrong things. We focus on praying better instead of focusing on knowing better the one to whom we pray. We focus on our need for discipline rather than our need for God. Almost all of us want to pray more frequently, and yet our lives seem too disordered. But in God’s mind our messy, chaotic lives are an impetus to prayer instead of an obstacle to prayer.

You don’t need to work and work at discipline nearly as much as you need faith. You don’t need an ordered life to enable prayer, you need a messy life to drive you to prayer. You don’t need to have everything in order before you can pray. You need to know you’re disordered so you will pray. You don’t need your life to be fixed up. You need a broken heart. You need to think to yourself: “Tomorrow is another day that I need God. I need to know him. I need forgiveness. I need help. I need protection. I need deliverance. I need patience. I need courage. Therefore, I need prayer.”

If you know you are needy and believe that God helps the needy, you will pray. Conversely, if we seldom pray, the problem goes much deeper than a lack of organization and follow through. The heart that never talks to God is the heart that trusts in itself and not in the power of God. Prayerlessness is unbelief.

Prayerfulness, on the other hand is an evidence of humility and faith, which is why God loves it when we pray.

The Hypersocialized Generation

Al Mohler writes a pithy article on our social networking/texting addicted generation.

(The sick irony is that I blog this article while sitting in class; Mohler would be justified in condemning me for addiction).

http://tiny.cc/aGL83

Jihadists In Military Playing U.S. for Suckers

Worth reading:

http://tiny.cc/KGwbx

Six Questions for Evangelicals to Ask Themselves on Reformation Sunday

by Kevin DeYoung

A good reminder of Reformation basics and some good questions from Chris Castaldo’s blog:

1. Ad Fontes. Do we read the Bible as often as we read books about the Bible?

2. Sola Scriptura. Is Scripture alone the supreme authority to which we direct thoughtful attention each day?

3. Priesthood of Believers. Do our neighbors and friends see in us a commitment to gospel ministry worked out in a regular routine of service?

4. Solus Christus. Do we enter God’s presence directly and with confidence by virtue of the high priesthood of Christ?

5. Sola Fide. Do we rest in our Lord’s finished work, accessed by faith alone, as the sole basis of our right-standing with God?

6. Soli Deo Gloria. Do we regularly communicate the good news of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and new creation, believing that the Holy Spirit will extend redemption through the foolishness of this message to save lost people and transform the world?