"Resolve Never to Forget the Eye of God"

The world, the Devil, and our flesh all wage war against our souls. There are temptations from without and within. One Biblical way to restrain our sinful thoughts and actions is to realize that our Holy God sees and knows all things we think and do. Let JC Ryle remind you of this fact which, if remembered and believed, will assist you in your battle against temptation:

The eye of God! Think of that. Everywhere, in every house, in every field, in every room, in every company, alone or in a crowd, the eye of God is always on you. "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3), and they are eyes that read hearts as well as actions.

Endeavor, I beg you, to realize this fact. Remember that you have to deal with an all-seeing God, a God who never sleeps, a God who understands your thoughts, and with whom the night shines as the day. You may leave your father's house, and go away, like the prodigal, into a far country, and think that there is nobody to watch your conduct; but the eye and ear of God are there before you. You may deceive your parents or employers, you may tell them lies, and act one way before their faces, and another behind their backs, but you cannot deceive God. He knows you through and through. He heard what you said as you came here today. He knows what you are thinking of at this minute. He has set your most secret sins in the light of His countenance, and they will one day come out before the world to your shame, except you take heed.

Got Questions?

As a reminder, we do have a questionbox on the blog. You can submit questions related to theology, apologetics, cultural, and ethical issues. My goal is to provide relevant answers from a biblical worldview.

Disclaimer: This is not a "stump the teacher" game. So, please only ask a question if you or someone you know will benefit from the answer. I will do my best to respond to these questions on the blog throughout the year (responses won't be immediate, but I will do my best to answer them by the end of each academic year). I reserve the right to modify a question or combine multiple questions into one. I even reserve the right not to answer a question. If you have somewhat of a personal question, I will protect your anonymity by changing details that might give away your identity. 
 

"I'm Better Than You"

I found this post from Tim Challies to be insightful and convicting. It address a manifestation of pride. And since we talked a little about pride at last week's Bible study (it was one of the 10 "thoughts for young men and women" I adapted from JC Ryle), I thought it would be good to post a link to Challies' article. Here is an excerpt

...while God calls us toward Christlikeness, we prefer to call others toward us-likeness. God calls us to hold all things up to the light of his Word, while we prefer to hold all things up to the light of our own judgments and our own determinations. Ultimately, we all long for conformity to us rather than to Christ.

This makes us useless counselors. We are useless counselors unless we can counsel from Scripture and toward holiness rather than from our own arrogance and toward conformity to us. This makes us miserable because we are always convinced life would be easier and better if only others were more like us. This lessens our usefulness to God and his kingdom ...

Your Time is Short

I thought Rod's sermon this past Sunday was a great reminder to take stock of our lives as we begin a new year. Below are some similar thoughts from JC Ryle

Young men, your time is short. Your days are but a brief shadow, a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes, a story that is soon told. Your bodies are not made of brass. "Even the young men," says Isaiah, "stumble and fall" (Isaiah 40:30). Your health may be taken from you in a moment: it only needs an accident, a fever, an inflammation, a broken blood-vessel, and the worm would soon feed upon you in the grave. There is but a step between any one of you and death. This night your soul might be required of you. You are fast going the way of all the earth, you will soon be gone. Your life is all uncertainty, your death and judgment are perfectly sure. You too must hear the Archangel's trumpet, and go forth to stand before the great white throne of judgment, you too must obey that summons, which Jerome says was always ringing in his ears: "Get up, you dead, and come to judgment." "Yes, I am coming soon," is the language of the Judge Himself. I cannot, dare not, will not let you alone.

Oh that you would all take to heart the words of the Preacher: "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment" (Ecclesiastes 11:9) Amazing, that with such a prospect of coming judgment, any man can be careless and unconcerned! Surely none are so crazy as those who are content to live unprepared to die. Surely the unbelief of men is the most amazing thing in the world. The clearest prophecy in the Bible begins with these words, "Who has believed our message?" (Isaiah 53:1). The Lord Jesus said, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). Young men, I fear this be the report of many of you in the courts above: "They will not believe." I fear you be hurried out of the world, and awake to find out, too late, that death and judgment are realities. I fear all this, and therefore I exhort you. 

From Thoughts for Young Men

The Slippery Slope of Same Sex Marriage

Al Mohler has and article about the latest Christian business owner who has been told by a court he must make wedding cakes for same sex couples or close up shop. Below is the situation:

Back in June, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the Windsor case, ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act, passed overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, was unconstitutional. Six months later, judge Robert N. Spencer, an administrative law judge in Colorado, ruled that Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Denver must serve same-sex couples by making wedding cakes, or face fines.

On a related note, a judge in Utah has struck down portions of a law that prohibit polygamy. The reason I say it is related is that the reasoning is the exact same as that which was used to by the supreme court to strike down the defense of marriage act. It is sad, but not unexpected.

The Millennial Generation and "Community"

Below is a short video of Tim Keller describing what he sees as the most encouraging and discouraging thing about the current young adult generation. The issue he mentions as both a positive and negative have to do with community and I think he is on to something. I hope it encourages and challenges you and your friends.

Selecting a University: "A plea to prospective university students [and parents]"

Here is a great article by Jeremy Walker about selecting a university to attend. 

In discussing people who select a college and then ask him if he knows of any good churches in the area he says...

What would you think of someone who told you that they had made arrangements to move to a new planet, and then asked if you knew if the atmosphere was breathable? Or that they were on their way to a new country, but they were not sure if there would be any food there that they could eat, and did you have any recommendations? You would look at them as if they were mad! Air to breathe and food to eat: surely these are your first considerations when planning such a significant step, not the questions that you worry about once the business of getting there has been accomplished!

So why is it that year after year, professing Christians students (and their parents) plan their intellectual, academic, professional or social development (or invest in the development of their offspring), and only subsequently ask whether or not their souls will receive faithful and loving care in the only environment on earth that Christ has ordained as the normal means for the lasting health of his people?

He goes on to discuss how selecting a school (or potential job) may include having a list of school/work possibilities and a list of good churches and then looking for where there is overlap. Not a bad idea (try 9marks.org church search feature to get you started in locating potentially good churches). 

He also notes that it is true that God sovereignly works through our failures and at times thwarts even our best plans. So, a lack of planning will not thwart God and all the planning in the world will not force his hand of blessing. However, God's sovereignty is never a reason to shirk the God given responsibilities of wise decision making.

In case you are wondering if Christians have to go to church, or why church is such a big deal, check out this video from Crossway: