Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist says...

"For all of life's disparities in talent and wealth, each of us is given exactly the same amount of time in each hour, and in each day, and in each year..." 


From a commencement address to law school graduates, transcribed here. 

"Everything depends on God's mercy"

That is the title of the first message given by Watchman Nee during the resumption of his ministry in September, 1947. I probably need to read this message again....

It can be found here: Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 57: The Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry, ch.1. And is also available online at www.ministrybooks.com.

Verse of the Week

Here is a verse I've enjoyed this week and finally was able to locate today:

"Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?"

- 2 Chronicles 1:10

This was Solomon's prayer - that he would be proper before the people of God. As we "go out and come in" before God's people, we need to have such a heart. The next verse is encouraging to me (v.11):

"Then God said to Solomon, Because this is on your heart and you have not asked for riches, wealth, or honor, nor for the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself so that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king;"

The more we know God, the more we will know what is on His heart. Then, rather than asking for material blessing or outward consolation, our heart would be turned to care for the people of God. Eventually, like the sons of Korah in Psalm 84 we could proclaim, "Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; In whose heart are the highways to Zion." 

The Tortoise Wins the Race

A diligent seeker of the Lord could possibly finish the entire New Testament by studying two hours a day for two and a half years. If the church, however, took seven and a half years to get through the entire New Testament this would still be wonderful. Never forget the race between the hare and the tortoise. The tortoise wins the race. If we keep going slowly, we will win the race. All the "running ones" will be defeated, but the working ones will win the race. We need to eat regularly, continuously, and slowly. I advise you not to go too fast, but to go slowly. You will then reach the goal. If we had started this practice ten years ago, we would have finished the entire New Testament already. Even if you get through half of the New Testament, you will see that you are different. Also, if the entire church could get through half of the New Testament, the church would be different.

(Witness Lee, Elders' Training, Book 03: The Way to Carry Out the Vision, Chapter 13)

Quotes of the Week

"It is true that we face difficulties in our work. But whenever we encounter problems and difficulties in the work, such as opposition and rejection, we discover whom we are really serving, what is the center of our service, and for what we serve. This was the problem between Paul and Barnabas. During times of trial, the attraction of the work, the natural human elements, and our own inclinations drop away; our work begins to be purified. Our service must not be based on natural attraction, human affinity, our own inclinations, the attraction of the brothers and sisters, or the work itself. It must be only based on God."

- Watchman Nee

Twitter v. Facebook, round 1

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/16/138160765/twitter-co-founder-biz-stone-plays-not-my-job

Hilarious account of facebook's acquisition talks from twitter co-founder, Biz Stone. Check it out.

Exploring the Triune God

“For many today the Trinity lacks the vibrancy with which it once charged the early church and has become an arcane fundamental arousing little appreciation or even interest.”

(Kerry S. Robichaux, “Axioms of the Trinity,” Affirmation and Critique. 1996)

For proper study of the significance of Christ’s incarnation, I hope firstly that our view and attitude regarding the Trinity would be proper. Though this subject has driven theological debate from the early church to present, we cannot afford to dismiss this as a topic reserved for only for theologians. Any endeavor toward a pellucid understanding of Christ’s incarnation requires a proper view regarding what the Trinity is, and equally important, what it is not. That being said, the scope of this blog does not allow for exhaustive exploration of the Trinity. However, related to our study of the Trinity I would make the following points:  

• Avoid “spiritual myopia” that may develop if you try to understand the Trinity apart from a desire to know God and the purpose of God.  Our God in His very being is Triune; eternally three yet one. With Genesis 1:26, for example, we open a window into the purpose of God that is intimately related to triune nature of God: “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” This establishes an important principle. So approach any study of the Trinity with a view to see: 
• How is the triune nature of God related to the purpose of God.
• What are the implications of a Triune God in the economy of God’s salvation? Related to this was found the following article from Affirmation and Critique (quoted below) tremendously helpful, and would wholeheartedly commend it to you.

• Beware of “Trinity diagrams” that claim to graphically illustrate the Trinity. We are not obligated to construct tidy diagrams attempting to systematize the Trinity or reconcile the triune nature of God. These endeavors jeopardize the truth and one point the truth. Remember, you are not studying the Krebs’s cycle or some other natural phenomenon that can easily be reduced to a chart or graph. This is the nature of God.

John Calvin’s utterance rings appropriate here: “Finitum non capax infinitum.” It means literally “the finite cannot grasp the infinite.” Pertaining to God’s incomprehensibility this implies that human beings bound by space and time will never have a comprehensive knowledge of God. Yet this surely does not suggest that God is fundamentally unknowable or unintelligible. Surely, we should not shy away from a rich and full realization of the truth regarding the Triune God.

Closing Thoughts:

We need to embrace the entire revelation of the Holy Scriptures. If our attitude regarding the Triune God is shallow and cloudy, our understanding of Christ’s incarnation will consequently be superficial and limited. 

Photo of the Week

Puerto Rico, 2007

What is consecration?

When I was in England I heard of a brother by the name of C. A. Coates. Someone once gave one of his books to the Queen of England. The Queen read the book and was helped by it. However, Coates had written eight books. When I was in England, I asked the British brothers, "Since Coates has eight books, why would he not give the other seven books to the Queen?'' The brothers did not say anything. They acted as if I had said something wrong. Later, I asked some other people and learned that a common English person could not give a book to the Queen. Even if you tried to give her a book, she might not necessarily accept it.

Consecration is God honoring us. It is not a favor we grant to God. Rather, it is God's acceptance of us and of our possessions. Hence, it is God's honor to us. We are not granting Him a favor; He is granting us a favor. For God to accept persons such as we is the greatest privilege He can grant to us. If I kneel before God and He sends a fire to consume the sacrifice, it is His favor to me in accepting my service. Man thinks that he is sacrificing himself by consecrating to God. Little does he realize that God's accepting him is His mercy. Why do we have to calculate so much? We have to learn to push our way through to serve Him, to crawl before Him, and to kneel before Him. A man should learn to humble himself before God. We are not begging you to go to God. Rather, you should beg to go to Him yourself.

(Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 3) Vol. 57: The Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry, Chapter 20, p. 205)

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

"How easy it is for us to make proposals, and how easy it is for us to act without prayer. How easy it is for us to develop confidence apart from God. God had to touch our natural life in a drastic way; He has to break apart our natural life and show us that we can do nothing by ourselves. From that day on, we will be lane men. Being lame does not mean that we cannot walk; rather, it means that every time we walk, we realize our weakness and our lameness. This is a common trait of all men who know God." - Watchman Nee.

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