Piper quotes Paul’s pleas for his readers to pray for him and asks “Can you hear the depth of need this apostle feels for God’s help?”
Piper is absolutely right to say that “….WHAT COUNTS MOST…… CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED BY MAN LEFT TO HIMSELF.”
Please pray for me this year. I dont know which is scarier, knowing that I run a blog with a too-rapidly growing audience or that I preach to a church with a too-rapidly growing congregation. I say too rapidly, because with the growth of each comes more responsibility on me as a I open my mouth or type on my keyboard. All this is far beyond what I deserve or what I am capable of. But, as Dave Holden said recently, an awareness that you are inadequate for the task God sets before you is not a disqualification, it is rather a qualification for him to use you.
I might be a pajama preacher, but what we christian bloggers and preachers say really matters. Especially when preaching, life and death literally hangs on our words as we are assisted by the Holy Spirit.
Left to myself, I know I will get into a real mess this year. I would probably just get into a big spat with Phil Johnson and scarey friends. If I was to argue with them in the way that I am tempted to at times, I might even end up feeling like I won that battle but have lost what really matters- the people. God deliver me from foolish blog wars this year. O I still plan on debating alright, but please help me to do so in a gracious, winsome way even if it means fewer readers!
When it comes to preaching, I need God so much. If I was to preach, without God’s help I would just be causing air molecules to vibrate for 40 minutes or so. Without Gods help I would probably even mess up my new job. I know that without Gods help I would be the cause of unecessary pain to my wife and children.
If this week has taught me anything it is this, I NEED God! Yes, and I need a God who acts today, not some kind of distant clockmaker figure. Through all the talk of theology, what I want more than anything is a God who can help a worthless wretch like me become the man he wants me to be.
This year, I do not want to miss anything that God has for me. I do not want to make foolish mistakes. I want to continue to bask in the unmerited favour and grace God has been lavishing on me. Yes, I will admit it, I do want to be successful both in this blog and in preaching. But it is not for the reasons you might think, nor for the reasons that used to drive me. I want to be successful because I want to bring glory to God, and to see lives changed, and I do believe that the word when written and even more when preached is capable of dramaticly transforming lives like nothing else on earth.
I want my preaching and my blogging to be a means of many people this year stopping, examining their lives, and coming to the point of desperate need of God that I recognise I am in. I want people to reach out to God, and see the amazing things that he can do in, through and for them.
May the amazing blessings of grace that God has been pouring on me lately- and which I suspect are only going to increase this year- have the right effect on me, may they continue to drive me back to God. It would be so easy to become complacent. But I cannot afford that. For once I have begun the journey of a lifetime how can I turn back? I feel the pull of Christ compelling me to make a difference for at least some people. I see the billions harrassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. How can I fail to do my own small part to help extend the kingdom of God on earth? How could I be so foolish as to turn my back on what Christ is doing?
And yet, the most sobering thing is this. I KNOW that I am capable of turning my back. I KNOW that inside me still lives the desires of the flesh, seeking any chance to rear their o so ugly head. I KNOW that if I had to depend on my own willpower even just a bit I would be finished. This is why I am so thrilled and humbled to realise that HE has me in his hands. That He will never let me go. That He has determined to shower grace and mercy on me in order that I can pass them onto others.
What a God!
What Grace!
What a saviour!
IN EVERY DAY THAT DAWNS,
I see the light of Your splendour around me;
And everywhere I turn,
I know the gift of Your favour upon me.
What can I do but give You glory, Lord?
Everything good has come from You.I’m grateful for the air I breathe,
I’m so thankful for this life I live,
For the mercies that You pour on me,
And the blessings that meet every need.
And the grace that is changing me
From a hopeless case to a child that’s free,
Free to give You praise,
For in everything
I know You love me.
I know You love me.Through all that I have known,
I have been held in the shelter of Your hand;
And as my life unfolds,
You are revealing the wisdom
Of Your sovereign plan.
There are no shadows in Your faithfulness,
There are no limits to Your love.Kate Simmonds & Stuart Townend
Copyright 2001 Thankyou Music
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