Dr. Richard W. Daniels on Providence and Spiritual Desertion

Click on link: Hearts in the Hand of the Lord (An Exposition of the Savoy Declaration of Faith, Chapter V: 5-6

The Idolization of Children Is the Hatred of Them

"Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him" (Prov. 13:24).

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6).

I must admit that I grew up fearing my mom (quite typical of the Filipino household wherein the father is mostly concerned with putting food on the table). I rendered obedience mostly out of fear of chastisement than love and respect.

While I am of the opinion that the ideal scenario should be that children obey their parents out of love, respect, and gratitude, discipline (be it physical or otherwise) is nonetheless warranted. I can honestly say that I am better off on account of my mom's strictness than I would have been had she "idolized" her children to the point of neglecting this key aspect of a parent's job.

In the article reproduced below, Carl Trueman offers some good commentary on the predicament of "child idolatry" that is all too prevalent in present society.

My Pathetic Piety

I missed two successive Lord's Day services due to sloth and sluggishness. I even lied to my pastor about the reasons. I've repented of my lying and of having profaned the Sabbath, and I've confessed to both him and the Lord. In other words, my piety is pathetic. I feel like Peter humiliated by Paul for hypocrisy—and rightly so.

I found this essay by Joel Beeke entitled, "Calvin's Piety." I need the first use of the Law to weigh down on me and the Gospel to remind me of Christ's active and passive obedience (and the imputation of their merits) in order to impel me to walk gratefully in the Law's third use.

"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin" (Rom. 7:24-25).

Do We Really Need TV?

"If all other variables are equal, your capacity to know God deeply will probably diminish in direct proportion to how much television you watch. There are several reasons for this. One is that television reflects American culture at its most trivial. And a steady diet of triviality shrinks the soul. You get used to it. It starts to seem normal. Silly becomes funny. And funny becomes pleasing. And pleasing becomes soul-satisfaction. And in the end the soul that is made for God has shrunk to fit snugly around triteness.....TV is mostly trivial. It seldom inspires great thoughts or great feelings with glimpses of great Truth. God is the great, absolute, all-shaping Reality. If He gets any air time, He is treated as an opinion. There is no reverence. No trembling. God and all that He thinks about the world is missing. Cut loose from God, everything goes down.....So there are good reasons to try a TV fast. Or to simply wean yourself off of it entirely. We have not owned a TV for thirty-four years of marriage except for three years in Germany when we used it for language learning. There is no inherent virtue in this. I only mention it to prove that you can raise five culturally sensitive and Biblically informed children without it." (emphases mine)

- John Piper, Pierced by the Word, 18

Two "D" Words for 2009

DESIRE and DISCIPLINE.

To fan the flames of DESIRE for the things of God and the hastening of sanctification through a life hemmed in by DISCIPLINE.

Another "D" word must be offered, however, a DISCLAIMER: In no way are the two previous "D's" an attempt at earning God's favor, as if anything I do can cause God to be indebted to me. All my "D"-lings with God are solely by virtue of the grace that He freely extends to unworthy sinners like me. I love God because He first loved me.

Do to me as thou wilt, O Lord.

The Warfare of Self-Control

". . . there is a mean streak to authentic self-control. . . Self-control is not for the timid. When we want to grow in it, not only do we nurture an exuberance for Jesus Christ, we also demand of ourselves a hatred for sin. . . . The only possible attitude toward out-of-control desire is a declaration of all-out war. . . . There is something about war that sharpens the senses . . . You hear a twig snap or the rustling of leaves and you are in attack mode. Someone coughs and you are ready to pull the trigger. Even after days of little of no sleep, war keeps us vigilant."

- Ed Welch, A Banquet in the Grave [Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 2001]

It's Not About Feeling Good

"God's grace is not given to make us feel better, but to glorify Him. Modern society's subtle, underlying agenda is good feelings. We want the pain to go away. We want to feel better in difficult situations, but God wants us to glorify Him in those circumstances. Good feelings may come, or they may not, but that is not the issue. The issue is whether or not we honor God by the way we respond to our circumstances. God's grace--that is, the enabling power of the Holy Spirit--is given to help us respond in such a way."

- Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace (Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love), ch.10, pg. 144-145