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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Mull It Over, A Bit

Commenting on the lost art of reading, an LA Times article states: "Today, it seems it is not contemplation we seek but an odd sort of distraction masquerading as being in the know. Why? Because of the illusion that illumination is based on speed, that it is more important to react than to think, that we live in a culture in which something is attached to every bit of time."

Sometimes, we must detach and contemplate. Often, it is not in reading blips (ex. blogs, tweets, etc.) that we grow, for we do not take the time to ponder them long enough; rather it is in the reading of books where we become so absorbed by a concept that it begins to seep into the fabric of our life. This is why we do not merely read the Scriptures, but we meditate on them day and night (Joshua 1:8, Psalms 1:2)!

On what are you meditating lately?

Monday, August 10, 2009

He Loves Me!

I recently tripped over Sam Storms' book The Singing God: Discover the Joy of Being Enjoyed by God. I really like other things that I've read by Storms, but I completely blew this off. I was afraid that thinking about how much God loves me might cause me to become proud...or something (I now see the foolishness of that thought because it's not that He loves me because of something I have done but because of what Christ has done so there really is no room for boasting anyway).

After reading Mark Altrogee's post today, God brought to my mind this thought: "We love because He first loved us" (1 Jn. 4:19, ESV). Thus we should be able to grow in our love for Him by focusing on His love for us. Anyway, it did persuade me to order the book.

The weird thing is...this isn't the first time I've had this thought...I remember writing in the corner of a bulletin not too long ago something about growing in my desire/love of God by focusing on His love for me with this very same verse! -- I just can't seem to keep it in my mind. Surprise, surprise...it's like the Garden of Eden all over again. Satan essentially caused Eve to doubt God's love for her. When we truly believe that God loves us, obeying Him will be pure delight because we know that He wants what's best for us. As Storms says in his book More Precious Than Gold, "What we so often fail to see, however, is that God has commanded nothing but what is conducive to our maximum spiritual satisfaction. He forbids us only that which would diminish our capacity to enjoy him to the fullest" (pg. 255).

So...how do you keep God's love for you fresh in your mind on a regular basis?