A Sure Word

I find for myself, that there is a difficulty in finding comfort through the counsel of other people in my own trials. I do not mean to say that I don’t take heed to wise and godly counsel, and neither am I saying that the counsel of others is useless, but there is a difference between taking heed to the counsel of men and finding absolute sovereign and divine comfort. After all, as Methodist preacher George Whitefield once said: “The best of men are but men at their best.” And while we may try to offer whatever counsel or advice we can muster from experience, all fall short of a divine comfort and peace that can only be found in the sureness of God’s Word.

And it strikes me as strange that, even for myself, we do not cling to the truth of God’s Words with greater closeness and intimacy. Other promises tremble on the wavering foundations of men. But Scripture as it is, stands upon the sureness of the Lord Himself. And I am reminded of the eternal authority that Christ maintains in the Gospel of Mark 13:31–

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Why do we look to anything else when we have a Lord who exalts “above all things His name and His Word” (Psalm 138:2)? Why do we seek comfort in anything else than the promises of God in which we receive by faith, knowing that He is true to His Word? Why do our souls not find even a fleeting security, much more an eternal one in truths such that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)?

And we find that in the midst of it all, the Word that we read in Scripture is a sure word, because Christ is:

… the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:15-20).

Is there someone who is hurting? His stripes heal your own. Is there someone who is in the darkness of uncertainty? His hand guides us. Is there anyone who fears? His assurance emboldens us. Is there anyone who lacks faith? His Spirit grants us an unwavering confidence. Over and over again, we find that His Word is full of promises to His saints. And His Word is true even to those who do not know Him in the same manner as His sons and daughters would. If unbelievers would but admit their need for a Savior and turn away from sin to Him as both Lord and Savior, He welcomes them. These promises extend to even the chief of sinners, and to those who are bound to the deepest depths of hell. Because our Christ is a sure cornerstone, a solid ground, and His Word is a sure Word. Commit yourself then to the truth of His Word. That His Word will serve to us as a comforting promise, firm through the fiercest tempest. Let us then come to our Rock of Ages, and let us hide ourselves in Thee.

soli Deo gloria.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

“He/She is a HARDCORE Christian…”

It would seem that to the world, and even to some who proclaim to be religious that there are those who are “hardcore” Christians. And just who are these “hardcore” Christians? These are those who have devoted themselves to daily prayer and intercession of the saints, as opposed to those who do not even regard prayer of any importance. These are those who have devoted themselves to the reading of Scripture, when the world has labeled Scripture as old, expired, and useless. These are those who have devoted themselves to the edification and sanctification of the bride, and indeed even their own lives, as opposed to the world who looks at the church as a long dead institution, and the need for sanctification has abdicated its priority to the desires of indulging the flesh. These are people who the world and even those of the religious crowd will point and label: “He is a RADICAL HARDCORE Christian.”

And this may be true. Perhaps there can be a distinction made between those who are Christians, and those who are RADICAL Christians. Maybe we who devote ourselves to daily reading and praying, who devote ourselves to the life-long process of sanctification, who devote our free time to the sanctification and edification of the local church, are in fact, too radical, and too hardcore.

But while we may be bombarded with human wisdom and worldly philosophy, we should think and meditate on that which gives us reason to call ourselves “Christians” to begin with. Let us meditate on the Cross of Christ. Let us meditate on the fact that He made Him to be sin, who knew no sin. Let us meditate on the truth that God Himself, humbled Himself to be born in the feed box of a donkey, when He could have come in chariots of glory and fire. Let us meditate on the truth that He prayed in agony until He bled for us in the garden of Gethsemane. Let us meditate on the thorn-pierced brow. Let us meditate on the fact that He was shamefully nailed to a Cross of wood. Let us count the deep lashings, let us count the mocking, let us count the drops of blood. And then let us consider that all was done by the same group of people who mocked, tortured, and killed the Christ, who we find ourselves identifying with, so that He may reconcile us to a God who is infinitely angered at our sin.

Tell me then, was Christ’s death for us too radical? Was Christ’s sacrifice too hardcore? If so, then yes, I am a radical Christian. I am a hardcore Christian. For the weight of sin and the souls of men are hardcore issues, and we were reconciled by a hardcore Savior.

soli Deo gloria.

Every Thought Captive

5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…”

- 2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

The question I believe most are asking is this: “Why the new blog?”

And to tell you the truth, there is no simple easy answer. Then again, its not as if this issue was a controversial issue to begin with, so I suppose it really makes no difference except to those of you who read this (which I suspect are not many). But after thinking about it, I wanted to discipline myself to carefully consider and flesh out my own thoughts regarding anything. I believe there is much discipline to be gained from blogging or journaling on a consistent basis. To be able to examine my own thoughts and to purposely reconsider my thoughts at that time have been a blessing as I have been able to note my own sin, and where God has been sanctifying me the most.

The question then that comes to mind is, “Why do I think the way I do?” Is it because of culture? Because of my own personal view on life? How are my thoughts most influenced? From entry to entry, what influences our thoughts and our mindset of the day can, and in most cases are reflected. And that in turn says a lot about our views on everyday living, and even how we think and how we are influenced.

While we may point to a myriad of influences, for the Christian, his conscience is held captive to Christ. I am convinced by Scripture, that everything we do is to reflect a Cross-centered, Christ-magnifying view on everything. And if that is the case, then shouldn’t even our blogging be representative of that? More so our every day to day activities? How often have our thoughts, decisions, actions been influenced by an act of whim or passion? And yet even in the context of 2 Corinthians 10:5, it is assumed that we take “every thought captive to obey Christ…” Because a Christian is not a Christian, unless his every will and every area of life is under the subjectivity of a sovereign God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Even his very conscience.

What else was able to compel the apostle Paul to write with boldness as he did? It certainly wasn’t his character. Even he himself says in verse 1 of chapter 10: “I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!” But he does so, because he recognizes that while he walks according to the flesh, he does not wage war according to the flesh. And so finds his thoughts and conscience held captive to a Christ who is perfect and all-satisfying.

Consider J.C. Ryle’s classic, Thoughts for Young Men and his final exhortation:

“Young men, these things are true. Suffer the word of exhortation. Be persuaded. Take up the cross. Follow Christ. Yield yourselves unto God.“

This is what I believe is meant when we say “Have a Christ-centered mentality.” It is simply as Paul states: “… take every thought captive to obey Christ.” And such is the premise and desire of this blog, that there would be a reflection of Christ as the catalyst behind my thoughts, Christ as the influence of my thoughts, that every entry is held captive to obey Christ.

soli Deo gloria.

Ch-Ch-Changes!

Well, for those of you who have noticed, I have officially moved from my previous blog (www.xanga.com/mattypau) to my new one here. Hope you guys can adjust to the change! The old one has been faithful and has served me well. But from now on, this will be the new blog. The updates will come soon, so check back some other time!

Til’ then, God bless.

soli Deo gloria.