It seems to be that a normal occurrence in a believer's life is an occasional, profound forgetting of the very essence of the gospel. Lingering in this putrid season of confusion eventually leads us into questioning whether we have even been saved. Hardening sin is usually its cause; Sovereign grace is always its remedy.

Grace through faith persuades our unbelieving hearts that, even though the LORD knows us perfectly, He loves us perfectly. It is grace that restores us to the "joy of His salvation" through gentle dealings of Fatherly discipline and tender compassion. It reminds us of our identity--which is now inseparably united to Christ's unchangeable identity. Pondering the reality that divine grace is always dispensed in the very midst of fresh sin is sure to rekindle a burning zeal deep in our tired souls and a yearning for His name to be exalted.

As for me...I'm undone all over again when I look up from the pigsty of my defiled heart and see a familiar Shepherd who will not leave...without me in His arms. My initial response to my sin is usually to tense up, feeling the sentence of guilt and condemnation that my conscience always hands down. So I run to hide thinking I am again in the presence of the Holy Judge. But in the course of running away, through one way or another, this Shepherd always directs my eyes to His hands...His scars...and in a rush of gut-wrenching gladness I remember that I'm not being pursued by a Judge, but by the Triune God who still seeks and saves the lost, even when they keep running away.

Has the realness of your sin and weakness scared you away from the cross and into a lonely and cold corner? Do you mourn at the thought of your spiritual bankruptcy?

Then look to the One who "Blesses the poor in spirit..and comforts those who mourn" (Matthew 5:3,4). Do not be "so near-sighted that you are blind, having forgotten that you were cleansed from your former sins" (2 Peter 1:9). Preach the Gospel to your unbelieving and exhausted heart: "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you" (Psalm 116:7). Be still...and listen to the wooing of your Lord, "Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17-21).

How Great is Our God!

If any of you see somebody riding this bike around Athens, please run them over with your car or call the police (I think I just inadvertantly ordered a hit...of the vehicular homicide type). Anyway, as you can gather...my beloved mountain bike was "ganked" on North Campus yesterday afternoon. Funny how God's sovereignty and promises to right all wrongs quell the anger of having some bloke take what you worked hard to buy. But alas!...

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it [even Gary Fisher mountain bikes], the world, and all who live in it." - Psalm 24:1

I don't have a lot to say tonight, rather...I have something to ask of you--namely, your prayers. The reality and gravity of this RUF internship that the Lord has generously laid before me is beginning to sink in. So is the reality of having to raise more than $26,000 over the next 3 months.

The money is not my concern. I have no doubt that God will provide above and beyond what I will need. But I want to ask you to please pray that the Lord would draw me close to Himself, and renew in me a heart that by faith runs to submit itself to His will and rests in His sovereignty. I desire to go about this support-raising and training process in a way that humbly reflects honor and glory to Christ and looks to Him for strength. But truth be told, this semester has worn me out...physically and spirtually. So I guess what I'm saying is that I sense a deep need for faith and perseverance for this next big step in my life...and I would certainly appreciate your prayers, Thank ya.


"If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." -- 1 Peter 4:11

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6.14

"We know, of course, how central the forgiveness of our sins is to salvation. We preach it, we believe in it. We see that first repentance and surrender to Christ as a glorious moment. We also accept that having come to the Lord, we must continue to purify our lives. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. But in talking with many believers, I get the impression that most of us consider the on-going repentance of the saved as a not-so-glorious experience. A sort of sad necessity.

Sin grieves God. We must not down-play the seriousness of it in the life of a believer. But we must come to terms with the fact that God’s Grace is GREATER THAN ALL OUR SINS. Repentance is one of the Christian’s highest privileges. A repentant Christian focuses on God’s mercy and God’s grace. Any moment in our lives when we bask in God’s mercy and grace is our highest moment. Higher than when we feel snug in our decent performance and cannot think of anything we need to confess.

Whenever we fail—and fail we will, the Spirit of God will work on us and bring us to the foot of the cross where Jesus carried our failures. That is potentially a glorious moment. For we could at that moment accept God’s abundant Mercy and Grace and go forth with nothing to boast of except Christ Himself, or else we struggle with our shame, focusing on that as well as our track record. We fail because we have shifted our attention from Grace and Mercy. One who draws on God’s Mercy and Grace is quick to repent, but also slow to sin."

- Mutua Mahiaini of the "Navigators" group in Kenya (as quoted in Jerry Bridge's The Discipline of Grace)

Seriously though, here is a great article that addresses illegal immigration through the lens of the Gospel. I recommend everyone takes a look.