The Spiritual Secret of Life. . . Just Kidding

Oftentimes, I have wished that there was one spiritual secret which would be all I needed to revitalize my walk with God. In addition, many sermons and books will either explicitly state or implicitly connote that the Biblical truth they teach is "the one". These claims sound both convenient and logical: for example, "just remember that Jesus is returning" or "just make sure you're always praying" or "Love God, love people." Can one truth really be the center of our spiritual walks? As I've matured, I've found more and more truths that tempt me to center on them: those already mentioned and others.

We ought to give up our search for one "golden rule." There is only one thing which should be the center of our life: and it is not a truth. It is a Person: God, the Triune, the Creator, the Sovereign, the Redeemer. Centering one's life on God is not simple: this actually makes your life much more complex, busy, and full of duties to remember. A short list: pray always, commune with God, exalt Him in your life, humble yourself before Him, love others as yourself, love God with all your self, read God's word, be filled with God's Spirit, love and serve God's church, spread God's good news, and so on and so on. My point is this: Stop looking to one truth or duty to give you life. Allow God's demands on you to be many, and follow Him as hard as you can with your whole life.

For the Master at The Master's College

I've been silent for a while now, but no, unfortunately for my readers, I am not dead. I spent the summer relaxing and taking it easy--memorizing Colossians 1 and 2 may be the only lasting activity I did.

However, my long vacation is over. I am currently sitting in the lounge at Waldock Hall, my new dorm at The Master's College. I'm beginning my freshman year of studying Biblical Studies next week. Hopefully, I can post more frequently while I'm here at the college.

Anyways, keep your eyes peeled for more posts coming soon. Peace. . . .

A Note to Readers

Dear Reader,

First of all, thank you for reading A Man in a Box. You are a special person [literally, you're probably one of four who read this :-) ].I have found this blog to be very helpful in organizing my thoughts and I hope that you have profited some small amount from listening to my random musings. Now, however, I have two small favors to ask of you. (1) Comment! It may sound vain, but I'd like to know how many people read my blog, and I'd also like to have more meaningful debate over my posts. If you love a post, say so. If you think I've gone completely crazy, tell me so. "Rate it even if you hate it." (2) If you wouldn't mind, please inform me when you find a typo. Nothing distracts me as much from a blog post as finding a typo. If it does the same to you, you can join forces with me in my typo-sweeping endeavours and eradicate typos in this end of the blogosphere. Once again, thanks for reading and may God bless you!

Colin Moore

Our First Duty

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior. . . -- 1 Timothy 2:1-3 (ESV--italics added)

First and Second Timothy are personal letters from an older mentor (Paul) to a young pastor (Timothy). Just before our text above, Paul has called on Timothy to "wage the good warfare" (1 Tim. 1:18). How is Timothy to do this? Paul says very clearly the most important thing Timothy can do is pray. Look at Paul's language: "first of all." Out of all of Timothy's duties, prayer is the priority. Paul puts prayer even before preaching.

Paul does not desire just a Lord's Prayer tossed up to heaven before bedtime--Paul urges Timothy to thank God and pray "for all people." This is an intense duty. In fact, this is "warfare." This is the most important thing you as a Christian can do to further God's kingdom. If Paul's (God-breathed) urging is not enough to make you pray, look at the result of prayer. If I went to all Christians in the world and offered them "a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" in exchange for money; every one would jump at the chance. But God does not desire money, he makes this the result of prayer. Let us not ignore the opportunity God is giving us in prayer. As James puts it so bluntly, "You do not have, because you do not ask" (James 4:2).

This, however, is not easy to apply. How can we pray and thank God for all people? That would take all our time, right? Exactly. I've often struggled with the command to "pray without ceasing" because I simply don't have that many things to pray about. But there are always people in need of prayer around us. Here's my plan for applying this text to my life: pray for the people who I am with. At work each day, I interact with hundreds of people--most of whom are most likely not saved. They need God's salvation or they will suffer God's judgment. They need conversion more than they need air. And, in Jesus, I have God's ear (so to speak). I can pray for each one of my coworkers and customers as I interact with them and after I see them. Outside of work, I see many other people, all for whom I should thank God and intercede. This is just my way to apply this; take it or leave it, but by all means, follow Paul's urging and and "first of all" pray.

Double Life-Debts, Already Paid

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,

the world and all who live in it." -- Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

"You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." -- 1 Cor. 6:19b-20 (ESV)

Who owns you? The Bible puts it simply: God owns you. If you're breathing right now, it is only because God is giving you breath (Daniel 5:23). He made each one of us individually (Psalm 139). Because He made us and sustains us, we owe Him everything: every thought, every moment, every word, every action.

But. But we rebelled. But we sinned and devoted ourselves to false gods and, worse, to ourselves. We were breaking our clear moral obligation, but God in His great mercy did not immediately condemn us to Hell. Instead, He sent His Son to take His wrath for our sin and to give us a new power to love Him.

So now "we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh" (Romans 8:12). We, if we are Christians, owe God doubly for our lives. We have, in effect, two infinite life debts to pay. We have been and are and always will be the recipients of amazing grace from the Lord. We are morally required to praise Him.

Yet we cannot praise Him enough: what are we to do? We must remember the Gospel: that God has not bypassed moral requirements but has instead satisfied them in Christ. We owe God and we should continue to live our whole lives in praise to Him. But we may do this secure in the knowledge that God's grace not only makes us morally responsible, but also satisfies the responsibility. Praise be to the Lord!

Boom

This video is breathtaking. A little info on what it is: a tank battery (a group of tanks which receive crude oil straight out of the ground) was hit by lightning. One hour after the strike, things got interesting. (Original video here)

For the Sake of Poor Souls

"Look upon your neighbors around you, and think how many of them need your help in no less a case than the apparent danger of damnation. Suppose that you heard every impenitent person whom you see and know about you, crying to you for help, 'As ever you pitied poor wretches, pity us, lest we should be tormented in the flames of hell: if you have the hearts of men, pity us.' Now, do that for them that you would do if they followed you with such expostulations. Oh how can you walk, and talk, and be merry with such people, when you know their case? Methinks, when you look them in the face, and think how they must suffer everlasting misery, you should break forth into tears (as the prophet did when he looked upon Hazael), and then fall on with the most importunate [pestering] exhortations. . . . Oh, then, for the Lord's sake, and for the sake of poor souls, have pity on them, and bestir yourselves, and spare no pains that may conduce to their salvation."

--from The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter

As It Was, Is, and Will Be

"Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever will be."--Gloria Patri, a traditional Christian hymn

The Gloria Patri, an ancient hymn, contains a good reminder of the fact that God does not need us. It provides us with a chance to laud our Lord, but focuses on the fact that God has been glorified since time began, and will be glorified long after we live on this earth. He doesn't need us to glorify Him. What did Jesus say? If we are silent, the very rocks will cry out glory to God. If we stop glorifying God, our lives may lose their meaning, but God will not lose His glory.

This shows God's love on the Cross to be amazing. The Gospel is not a "God scratches our back, we scratch His" kind of thing. He needs no one to scratch His back. But, regardless of His perfect state of glory, He decided to love us and give Himself for us. Through glorifying God, we can live fulfilling lives. We praise Him because we need to, not because He needs us to.

On Blogging

Blogging presents a unique challenge. Speaking comes naturally--once a baby learns to speak the hardest thing to do is shut them up! While speaking, words flow like water. We use many, many words to communicate ideas. Also, in face-to-face communication, we use body language and gestures to get our point across. This works out great: we can communicate complicated ideas well.

Bloggers do not have these benefits. First, blog posts must be short or readers will skip them. Second, there is no body language. To put our ideas into a blog is like trying to force a fire hose through a funnel.

But, blogging also presents a unique opportunity. No matter how loud I yell, only a few people can hear me. But, open up my laptop and the whole world becomes my potential audience. Also, writing requires me to focus my thoughts. In so doing, writing serves to hone my ideas and self-edit my blog posts.

If you're not a blogger, but just a reader: did you know there's a right way to read blogs? (1) Understand that the blogger has more knowledge and opinion than he or she is sharing--there just is not room to show it. (2) Don't be afraid to use the comments section to hash out ideas. Question the blogger, ask for clarification, present your own opinion, correct facts, or simply give an amen.

Thanks to all my readers. You make it worth it for me to do this. I hope my blog serves you well.

Praised by the Praiseworthy

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Romans 2:28-29 (ESV)

These few sentences are both a rebuke of legalists' futile attempts at self-salvation and also a promise to those who despair that noone recognizes their effort. First, God proclaims that His people are not those who are physically like His people--they are those who love Him with a Spiritual love. The law ("the letter") is not what saves; rather the Spirit of God. But while this is more foundational to Christian faith, it is far less theologically deep than the short last sentence of Romans chapter 2: "His praise is not from man but from God." Listen to that: God's people are praised by God. We not only praise God, He praises us. What an amazing, inconceivable truth! The Majesty of Heaven will call us "good and faithful" (Matt. 25:21, 23). When the world calls us "narrow-minded," "backwards," or "foolish," we can remember that man's praise is as nothing compared to praise from God.