'Carols stir us. Holy words inspire us. The golden glow from the manger warms us. A little religion at Christmas is fine. But that glow in the manger comes from the Light of the world. It exposes evil and either redeems it or destroys it. The babe in the manger is far more than an object for sentimental sighs. He is the Son of God who must be accepted as ruler - or confronted as rival.'

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Matthew 16:24
An American Football coach who was nearing the end of his career was asked the difference between the players he coached back then and the players he coached now. Back then, he reflected, they had all been about opportunity and responsibility- today they were all about rights and responsibility. Back then it was the all about the team, today it was all about the individual. In many ways that is the sad reflection we see in the world today and that is evident in a world of no-win-no-fee lawyers, a world where the sense of community is dying and where people generally seem out for what they can get while they can get it.In response to this kind of worldview there is something deeply counter-cultural about what Jesus says to His disciples in this verse. It is not just counter-cultural but contrary to our very instinct, against that very strong sense of self that drives us, motivates us and expresses most effectively and most often our sinful nature.

So what Jesus does is provide a choice and a cost. The choice is whether we would follow Jesus- ‘if anyone would come after me.’ There are many choices that we face as to who we follow, how we live, what direction our lives take. Yet this is the question that echoes through all history- would you follow Jesus? Would you follow Him regardless of personal cost, would you do so knowing that it might mean an end to the selfish plans that you have for living for yourself but that you would then live for a greater purpose, for the purpose of God for His glory.

The second thing that Jesus mentions is the cost, denial of self, the very sentence wages war against our natural habits- however much we might pretend or protest otherwise. A.W. Tozer identified the problem that lies in our hearts in regard to this- ‘The average Christian is so cold and contented with his wretched condition that there is no vacuum of desire into which the blessed Spirit can rush in satisfying fullness.’ Self-denial is a painful thought, but it was the very pattern of the believers that we find written to in Hebrews 10:34- 'You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.' In the face of great hardship and sacrifice, on their own behalf and on behalf of those around them, there is a clear grasp of the wonder of God’s provision that what was being taken from them was nothing in comparison to what God has promised those who put their trust in Jesus. In living for Jesus we always gain more than we give- the physical cost is compensated for in immeasurable spiritual treasure.

Then finally the cost is that taking up of a cross, Jesus asks us to do nothing in this that He has not already done for us. Our cross may take a variety of forms, that which is in us that must put to death on the cross to produce greater holiness of life will be different from person to person and we can be sure that there is no detour to holiness. Vance Havner says that ‘We have suffered from the preaching of cheap grace. Grace is free, but it is not cheap. People will take anything that is free, but they are not interested in discipleship. They will take Christ as Saviour but not as Lord.’ Will you follow Jesus?

Further thoughts for the day posted daily (Monday-Friday) at: http://www.churchonthehill.co.uk/site/

'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.'

William Booth

What do you think about Heaven?

Interesting debate on Heaven and a variety of views. Those offered by Alistair Begg are good concise answers to questions that we might be asked or that we might ask ourselves. It's good stuff to try and get clarity on.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/10423448/detail.html

Recommended Reading
Heaven Better By Far- J. Oswald Sanders
The Gagging of God- D. A. Carson

Softened by God

Came across this quote recently by A. W. Tozer- "God cannot use mightily the man whom he has not wounded deeply." So how does God wound us deeply? I suspect that what Tozer is speaking of is that God in this act works against our own sense of invincibility, sulf-sufficiency and pride to bring instead the vulnerability, God-dependence and humility that mean that He gets the glory and not me.

Recommended Reading
Holiness- J. C. Ryle
The Pursuit of God- A. W. Tozer
Why Revival Tarries- Leonard Ravenhill

Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought...

Spent some time listening to Bruce Ware on Ephesians 1 entitled 'Beholding the Trinitarian God of Our Salvation' (http://www.covlife.org/sermons/ . If you don't like open-theism you will love Bruce Ware, if you do like open-theism you won't think so much about him and if you have no idea what open-theism is then that is a good thing and you should keep trusting in God that He knows what He is doing and will do in the future. Ware was highlighting the propensity for teaching in the church today of a certain ilk that makes it commonplace to hear preaching that suggests to us how valuable we are because God gave His utmost treasure, His only Son to die for us. He challenged the idea that is commonly portrayed that in some way that this was a like for like trade so that, as often happens, we are encouraged to think of ourselves as of equal value to Jesus as the price of offering reflecting the value of the purchase. What Bruce Ware challenges us with is that the exchange was not an exchange that was Christ’s infinite worth for our infinite value primarily but rather Christ’s infinite worth for our infinite debt. Not our value but rather the guilt of our offence- His worth matches the greatness of our sin and guilt before God and that is why Jesus came to die for us.we have no right to heaven, we have no status with God. We cannot earn heavenly citizenship, we cannot win the favour of God. And where is the grace pastor, we might ask? That is the grace- in Jesus Christ we get what we do not deserve, in Jesus Christ we gain what we cannot earn. Grace is not found in my ability or worth or rights if it was it wouldn’t be grace.

Recommended reading on this
C.J. Mahaney- The Cross-Centred Life
http://www.the-highway.com/cross_Packer.html