Musings Of A Pastor
THE DECREE OF A PAGAN KING
Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,
for he is the living God,
enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues;
he works signs and wonders
in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel 6:25–28
WORSHIP? Me & Jesus or We & Jesus
Spirituality is seldom considered in the context of the church body. But the personal spiritual disciplines are not intended to make us spiritually self-absorbed evangelical monks. The church is a community in which Christians are to live and experience much of their Christianity. Too many believers isolate themselves from life with the family of God, deceived by the notion that “me and Jesus” are all they need in order to be all that God wants them to become and to savor all He has for them.
Spiritual Disciplines Within The Church by Donald Whitney
MEET RICH MULLINS
This song will surely date me and show my age, but during my early years of following Jesus, Rich Mullins’ Screen Door had an impact on me. Truthfully at the time, I didn’t even know the Scripture that the song was based upon. Even after all these years, the song serves as an important reminder that faith without works is dead. [James 2: 14-26]
Jonathan Edwards RESOLUTIONS
I try to read Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions at the start of the New Year. Typically, I’ll read a resolution, reflect, and then pray specifically on the resolution. There was an article released in 2006 by Desiring God, where the author categorized Edward’s Resolutions based upon theme. I found it to be very helpful and formative to understanding the Resolutions themselves.
THE 1689 CONFESSION
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Of Holy Scriptures
Chapter 1, PARAGRAPH 2
Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments. All of which are given by the inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.5
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Chapter 1, PARAGRAPH 3
The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon or rule of the Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings.6
6 Luke 24:27,44; Rom. 3:2