Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Padkos–June 2015

  Whatever Happened To Sin?Jeremiah Johnson   “those who refuse to acknowledge their sinfulness actually place themselves in bondage to their own guilt” Although I hear what he says about issues such as depression, I’m sorry John MacArthur did not explain himself better in the quoted passage. All in all an excellent article.

Who Decides What Sin Is?  - Jeremiah Johnson  “Whenever Christians fail to take sin as seriously as God does, we’re effectively saying His Word doesn’t apply to us. It’s a practical stiff arm to everything Scripture teaches about holiness, sin, and God’s righteous wrath.”

3 Reasons to Encourage OthersPaula Hendricks  “How could the truth that Jesus is returning soon encourage your friend in what they’re facing right now?”

Encouraging Without Even TryingPaula Hendricks

10 Steps To Writing An Encouraging Letter  -  Paula Hendricks  “The main thing is: Are you available to share God’s encouragement with others who desperately need it?”

Christlike Versus Like Christ –  Peter Mead  “This means that Christlikeness will not flow primarily from Christlikeness explained and demanded.  Christlikeness will come  from liking Christ, from loving Him, from knowing and worshipping Him.” “Christlikeness isn’t the goal of preaching for sanctification, it is the fruit.”

Reasons We Don’t Read Our Bibles  –  Erik Raymond “Let’s be honest: if you don’t read your Bible it is because you don’t want to read your Bible. And to bottom line this further, this is indicative or your relationship with God. We cannot separate a love for the Word of God and the God of the Word.”

When God Bids Farewell  Part 1 – Ravi Zacharias

When God Bids Farewell  Part 2– Ravi Zacharias  The whole series HERE

Self Pity RefresherEric Davis   “Self-pity: a self-absorbed, feeling sorry for oneself fuelled by a high view of self, a low view of God, and an attitude of entitlement.”

You Can’t Serve God And Entertainment  –  Phillip Holmes “If we devote inordinate amounts of time, money, and affection to anything, including entertainment, we will despise whatever draws us away. We’ve all been faced with the choice between spending time in prayer and God’s word or spending time with entertainment. At the crux of these crossroads, the all-satisfying gift of Jesus is pit against the temporal promises of entertainment. Whichever road is chosen increases hatred for the path denied.”

“Entertainment over-promises but under-delivers. It is unable to satisfy what our hearts truly long for. We want rest. We want comfort. But entertainment can only offer a temporary fix. As soon as we wake up from hours of binging on Netflix or scrolling through social media, our problems remain, still waiting to be confronted. And we’re faced with the truth that all we’ve done is put off the inevitable.”

“Addiction to entertainment is similar. The physical and health effects may not be as striking as heroin, but the spiritual effects are costly. We chase mindless entertainment hoping for relief for our souls, but instead all it really can promise is death. It distracts us from the highest and ultimate good with a mirage of happiness and comfort.”

“I have never walked away disappointed when I’ve pursued my joy in God through prayer and Bible reading, reminded myself of his promises in the gospel, repented of my sin, and cried out to God for comfort. Were all of my problems solved? No. But my joy was restored, and my soul had feasted on his promises. Likewise, every time I’ve used entertainment as a means of relief for my soul, I was left wanting and unsatisfied.”

“Here we uncover the beauty of our wonderful master and realize that Jesus is better. In communion with him, we experience lasting joy that entertainment can only promise but never provide.”

Our Culture Of Reading   –  Matthew Lee Anderson  “The false hurry that so many of us (this author included) are dominated by is not a recognition of the importance of this life, but a denial of eternity. For as George MacDonald once put it, “Of all things, time is the cheapest.”

12 Questions For a 6 Month Spiritual CheckupThom Rainer 

Proverbs 31 ManJA Medders

Worship In A Selfie World  - Stephen Miller   “If we are going to learn to worship in a selfie world, we must continually look beyond our musical preferences, sentimental nostalgia, and contextual idealism, in order to gaze with wonder and awe at the character and acts of our mighty King and Saviour.”

Prayers From The Bible  - Colin Smith “How do you pray? Prayers that are rooted in Scripture are guaranteed to be aligned with the heart of God. Here is a list of 15 powerful prayers from the Bible that you can use word-for-word or to spur on your own prayers:”

Conquer The GrumblesMichael Herrington  “But what comes out of my mouth when things don’t go my way indicates whose kingdom I serve.”

5 Questions to Ask The Text HB Charles  “To get the right answers in your study of scripture, you must ask the right questions. This is called inductive Bible study.”

Why Would God Choose Me?John Piper (also links to ‘Look At The Book’ studies on election)

Calvinism & Arminiasm  - John Piper

Complaining Without Grumbling  - Jon Bloom   “So go ahead and complain to God, but don’t grumble. Learn from the lamenting psalmists how to be a faithful complainer.”

Suffering Is Not For NothingElisabeth Elliot series of talks

Accountability QuestionsBrad Hambrick   ( I too much prefer to talk about friendship rather than use words such as ‘accountability’ ‘authentic’ etc UGH!!!)

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Elisabeth Elliot

"This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness. "

"Trust in God, obey him, and do the next thing."


―Elisabeth Elliot     

Friday, June 5, 2015

Remedy For Idolatry

From this article - Remedy Our Idolatry

"France’s foremost preacher of the nineteenth century, Adolphe Monod, explained the mystery of this truth in a most profound way: “I strive to live in the communion of Jesus Christ—praying to Him, waiting for Him, speaking to Him, hearing Him, and, in a word, constantly bearing witness to Him day and night; all which would be idolatry if He were not God, and God in the highest sense of the word, the highest that the human mind is capable of giving to that sublime name.”"

Monday, June 1, 2015

Padkos May 2015

Christian Apps Jeffrey Kranz “This map pulls together Christian apps of all kinds: from native iOS and Android, Web-based, desktop software, and even a PowerPoint plugin. It’s not a comprehensive list, but it should give you an idea of what’s out there. And of course, remember that this is an observation, not a recommendation.”
I have cursed you Tim Challis “The notes in the MacArthur Study Bible say it well: “Since you have many offensive words to be forgiven, don’t keep strict accounts of other’s offensive words against you.” “Even though I know how many idle words I speak, I assume that other people mean every word. I allow myself far greater leeway than I allow others. I excuse myself while condemning them.”
Don’t Let Pride Steal Your JoyJon Bloom “This is why everything about the gospel is designed to expose our pride and force us to put it to death. God doesn’t humble us because, like some conceited tyrant, he takes pleasure in our grovelling. He humbles us because he wants us to be happy and free — he wants us to reflect his image! God is perfectly humble; he sees all things — himself and everything else — exactly as they are. And he is the happiest being alive.”
4 Ways to Know hat You Are Pursuing - Jeremy Writebol “Once we identify our core pursuits, we can address how to navigate those pursuits in a way that will free us from the ensnaring power of sin and death. To help us further diagnose our motivational drives and ambitions, we need to take a walk into the darkness. We need to step into our nightmares and look at our fears in the face. By moving the things that bring us the deepest fear and anxiety into the light, we can clearly see the pursuits that drive our daily lives.”
I Went All The Way BackRay Ortlund “I came to see that these two problems are interrelated. There is a reason why people who believe God is love (1 John 4:7-8) treat one another with unlove. The reason is not a lack of biblical orthodoxy about God. The reason is a lack of personal reality with God. A theoretical God of love can be defended as a doctrinal concept, even while being denied as a practical reality. But unreality with God inevitably shows: “And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God” (Isaiah 8:21).”
Worse Trend Ever
Has Authenticity Trumped Holiness?
Failure Is Not a Virtue
On Writing Well – I’m sure this applies to more than writing books…
The Importance of Friendship -
Conflict is an Opportunity For GraceDavid Mathis “For the Christian, conflict is not something to avoid or ignore. It is an opportunity for the triumph of grace.”
5 Signs of a Strong Friendship - Rosilind Jukic
4 Purposes of Godly FriendshipsKelly Needham
I Want A Friend Like That!Kimberly Wagner
5 Things to do With God’s WordMichael J Kruger “Indeed, Jesus embodies all five of these characteristics. He trusted, studied, used, delighted in, and obeyed God’s Word. In fact, he did all these things even more than the first David. While David certainly serves as an example of what to do with God’s word, Jesus is the ultimate example. One greater than David has come. And he loved God’s Word.”
6 Counterfeits That Lead Away From The Biblical GospelTrevin Wax “When it comes to the gospel, the best way to spot a counterfeit gospel is to know the biblical gospel – not only to master it in a cerebral, objective sense, but to be captured by the beauty of what God has done for us in Christ.”
YOLO (You Only Live Once)Ryan Shelton “But YOLO is a mask worn by an ancient despot. Who doesn’t remember his previous disguises? He has had other aliases. You may remember him as carpe diem, or more recently, “the bucket list.” He has gone incarnate in figures like Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray or Robin Williams’s portrayal of professor John Keating in Dead Poets Society. He ensnares would-be servants of the true King by holding out fleeting satisfaction and vaporous rewards.”
Quotes From Les MiserablesTrevin Wax

When God Does The Miracle We Did Not Ask ForVaneetha Rendall “With every heartache I wanted a Red Sea miracle. A miracle that would astonish the world, reward me for my faithfulness, make my life glorious. I didn’t want manna.”

Padkos - May 2023

  'A Cry of Grief' - Philip Yancey