Think on "These Things"

From the Gospel According to John:

I say these things so that you may be saved. (John 5:34)
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:11)
These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:17)
I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. (John 16:1)
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. (John 16:33)
But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. (John 17:13)

                       - JESUS

From Tim Brister 

More Signs You Are Growing in Grace

Signs You Are Growing in Grace- the 22nd installment in a great series by Timmy Brister at Provocations & Pantings, quoting Scotty Smith. Just excellent points!

A sign you’re growing in grace: Though you’d like to put a sock in some people’s mouth, you don’t.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Given the choice, you’d rather God use you anonymously than friends celebrate you publicly.
A sign you’re growing in grace: People with chronic pain don’t feel pressure from you to change, suck up or be happy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You consider the gift of sufficient grace just as precious as an instantaneous healing.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You let GOD define words like “blessing”, “prosperity” & “success”.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You now treat the whole Bible as a “red letter edition,” because it’s all about Jesus.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When you get cut off while driving, you don’t wrongly expand your children’s vocabulary.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t assume you can drive 7% above the speed limit before you’re breaking the law.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your spouse doesn’t experience you as being as picky or defensive as you used to be.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Quicker than ever, you’re able to apologize to your children and ask forgiveness.
A sign you’re growing in grace: It doesn’t take you nearly as long to go from being condescendingly perturbed to loving.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You hate & grieve bad theology, but you’re not hateful & cynical to bad theologians.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your family doesn’t have to wonder what kind of attitude or mood you’ll bring home.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When greatly disappointed by someone, you long for heaven more than you look to get even.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When not copied on a group email or invited into Google+, you don’t smell a conspiracy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When a friend/spouse makes you run late, you don’t punish them by driving like a maniac.
A sign you’re growing in grace: If you’re known for getting lost, you love your family well by using your GPS a lot.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You know there’s no idol with greater power over your heart than people idolatry.
A sign you”re growing in grace: You know the difference between singing worship songs and engaging with God.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You can even find something in stinking hot humid weather for which to give God praise.

I recommend you go read every installment. I do!

Give Me The Deeps

The Deeps

Lord Jesus,
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach;
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealousy to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust, that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest, the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself as Saviour, Master, Lord, and King.

Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly Husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no Master but thee,
no law but thy will,
no delight but thyself,
no wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord, and then fill me to overflowing with living water.

From The Valley of the Vision

Hat Tip: Provocations & Pantings:

Digesting the Implications

Continuing to enjoy and learn from the list of Gospel Implications by Scotty Smith, posted at Provocations & Pantings:

Gospel Implications: Since the Father has lavished his love upon us in Jesus, let’s not hoard it. Love boldly today.
Gospel Implications: Since Jesus has worked for us, we must rest in him. A most freeing imperative, indeed.
Gospel Implications: Jesus was the 2nd Adam who succeeded brilliantly as our substitute. Quit trying to be a 3rd Adam.
Gospel Implications: Since Jesus made and will glorify our bodies one Day, we must neither despise, abuse or worship them.
Jesus has the only set of shoulders broad enough to carry the burden of your sin, brokenness, shame and despair. Offload.
Because Jesus is a wonderful, merciful Savior, you can abandon yourself to him right now, with your tears, fears and woes.

Much more at the link.

More Gospel Implications

Ready for some more Gospel Implications?  Here we go!

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus is praying we’ll be filled with his joy, staying dour, smug, & cold is not an option.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus has perfectly obeyed the law for us, we don’t have to, we GET to.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus cannot possibly love us more than he already does, we can focus on loving others.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus is our Advocate & Intercessor, who even purifies our prayers, we can pray big & boldly.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus is the ONLY perfect spouse, let’s not expect our spouse to be Jesus to us.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus IS a perfect spouse to us, let’s love our spouse more sacrificially & extravagantly.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus ONLY & ALWAYS speaks words of life to us, how dare we harm one another with OUR words?

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus is redeeming a pan-national Bride, we must decry & repent of all racism & tribalism.

Gospel Implications: Since we are in Christ and condemnation free, all self-contempt must be repudiated as unbelief.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus came to set prisoners free, we must not stay enslaved to bitterness, greed and vanity.

Gospel Implications: Do not think/act like an orphan, for you are a legally adopted, dearly loved child of your Father.

 Can't get enough of this!

Some Gospel Implications

Love this! Need this! From Gospel Implications, Part 1 @ Provocations & Pantings:

Gospel Implications: Jesus’ imputed righteousness demolishes our hope of meriting God’s favor and fear of losing it.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus is currently making all his enemies his footstool, our right to anxiety & fear is gone.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus took our guilt & shame on the cross, we can’t use those dark tools in our relationships.

Gospel Implications: Since Jesus in making all things new, we can’t disengage from the culture & abuse the environment.

Gospel Implications: Since God promises the sufficiency of his grace, we can’t bail as quickly from difficult situations.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus said “It is finished”, all attempts at supplementing his work are blasphemous.

Gospel Implications: Because the throne of heaven is occupied, you can get off of your high horse.

Gospel Implications: Because one day we will be as lovely & loving as Jesus, holiness should be a passion & joy today.

Gospel Implications: Because Jesus will not sleep or slumber tonight, we can.

More to come.  Glorious (and truthful) stuff!