Obedience, trembling and embracing

Posted on September 12, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

This morning I was reading through the Sermon on the Mount and a phrase from the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) came to mind. In response to Scripture, the WCF speaks of “. . . yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life, and that […]

Foolish and slow of heart

Perhaps my reader cannot relate to this, but I often feel that I am foolish and slow of heart to believe. In fact, I know that I am. Like those travelers to Emmaus, I can feel that God’s plan has been derailed and I can often think that I am the villain that derailed it. It is sometimes difficult to look past my failures to see God.

On the source of your passion

Our passion cannot come from love of correct doctrine. We are not to be motivated by obligation. A desire for societal reform (however necessary) is not to control us. Our actions cannot be fueled by a desire to be seen doing the right thing. The one and only correct source of passion for ministry is the love of God.

So that I will not experience pain . . .

A while back, there was a book that was very popular in Christian circles that centered on this verse. I remember reading it but I didn’t find it very helpful or encouraging. The promise of that book (as I recall) was that if I prayed that prayer with the proper sincerity, like Jabez, I would not experience pain.

Made in God’s Image

Maybe seeing others as the image of God is part of how we can fulfill the command in Philippians 3:3 to regard the needs of others higher than our own needs.

On dealing with toxic people

While it is important to put up healthy boundaries, and limit your exposure to toxic people, it is unlikely that you can avoid them entirely. What then are we to do? Jesus gives us some advice in Luke 6:27–28.

Obedience, trembling and embracing

Categories

Archives