Challies Dot Com - Informing the Reforming

The Deciding Point

Tim — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:57:20 +0000

Yesterday I received an email from a reader of this site and today I'd like to answer it (with the permission of the person who sent it). Here is what he wrote:

Thank you so much for your booklet, "Sexual Detox." I have read it over and over, and am still very much challenged by it. I was recently married and was under the illusion that marriage would solve all of my lust problems... Even though I had been told numerous times that it would not. Now I feel that everything has come to head, I know what I must do, and I want so very badly to do it, but I feel that the devil knows this is THE deciding point in my life on this issue, and he is working hard against me. I feel more captivated and strangled by my sin than ever before, and I need you to pray for me. If you have any advice or encouragement to offer, please tell me.

Thanks for sending this note. It sounds to me like you are absolutely right when say that this is a deciding point in your life on the issue of lust and the acting out of that lust. Satan will be working hard against you and, in many ways, you will be working hard against yourself. You gave yourself over to your sin and no doubt you've become captivated by it. As sin always seeks to do, it has ensnared you. But take heart. There is hope.

To reiterate what I wrote in Sexual Detox, the fact that you feel sexual desire is a good and noble thing. God has given you that desire so you will pursue your bride. But, like all good gifts, the gift of sex is one that we are prone to pervert, turning it into a means of selfish self-fulfillment. God wants you to pursue your wife, to win her heart not just once but day-by-day; and he wants you to enjoy sex with her. But, of course, you have grown used to indulging the flesh, to giving it its desires, those desires that are perversions of the true gift. And sin rarely just goes away; it is usually a long and difficult process to put it to death.

A few days ago someone asked me, "What difference does it make that Christ is on his throne?" I had to think about that one, but when I did, the answer became clear. It makes all the difference in the world. Just this morning I read from Hebrews 1 where the author says, "After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." There is such glorious truth there.

Purification

First, Christ made purification for sins. This is the very heart of the Christian faith. Finally, after those long millenia of human history, the thousands of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Christ. The seed promised all the way back in Genesis 3 had come and had crushed the head of the serpent. What this means is that if you have trusted in Christ, if you have put your faith in him, you have been purified from your sin. God no longer regards you as defiled by sin, but looks at you and sees the sinless perfection of Christ. Your sin has been given to him, his righteousness has been transferred to you.

Purification is an especially important word when we discuss sexual sin, for no sin makes us feel as dirty, as defiled, as impure as sexual sin. Because sex is so deep, so intimate, it touches the body, the soul, the emotions. And so, when we sin sexually, we tend to feel a deep sense of defilement, and particularly so when we sin in spite of a convicted conscience.

And yet Christ died to purify you from even this sin. You have sinned against God and need to seek his forgiveness. I am sure you've already done this, but do go to God, even now, and confess your sin. Be reconciled to God and receive his forgiveness, his purification from sin. Christ is far more willing to forgive you than you are even to pursue your sin.

The Majesty on High

That Christ has made purification for sin is an amazing truth. But it is only half the truth of this verse. Christ has not just died, but he is risen and now reigns at the right hand of the Father. And what does it mean that Christ is on his throne? It means that Christ is ruling and reigning. It means that Christ is sovereign, that he is King, that he has power. He gives power to his people through the Spirit, his Spirit, that he has sent to be our helper. Christ has given you the power to overcome sin. What a glorious truth this is! He has given you all you need, absolutely everything you need, to overcome sin. The Spirit works with us, in us, through us, to destroy indwelling sin and to make us in practice what we are in position--pure and holy.

So there is no excuse. Christ is reigning over the entire universe; he is reigning over sin. If you are to overcome the sin of lust, if you are to turn from your lust and find sexual desire and fulfillment only in your wife, you will need to fight with his power.

Hold tightly to these two truths and never separate them. Christ has died to destroy sin; Christ has risen to reign.

What To Do

I have already encouraged you to confess your sin to God and to ask his forgiveness. And as you do that, confess your own inability to overcome this sin and ask God for his strength, his power. Be utterly dependent upon him.

Be a godly man. Immerse yourself in the Word; be faithful in prayer; be committed to your church. Live a life of godliness. Do not approach the sin of lust as an isolated sin, but approach it as one more sin that needs to be overcome as you seek to be conformed to the image of the Savior.

In committing sexual sin, you have sinned against your wife. You need to confess this sin to her, painful thought it may be, and seek her forgiveness. You will also need to seek reconciliation with her. You are much more likely to overcome this sin with her help than without it. Be very careful not to blame her in any way for your sin; do not implicate her in any way. Confess your sin and ask her to fight with you in putting it to death. As a husband you need to lead your wife. And, as you've been sinning against her, you've been leading her poorly. Part of shepherding your wife, and often the most difficult part of all, is leading in the sexual relationship. This is especially difficult when you have committed sexual sin. But lead her nonetheless, gently and kindly. And lead her by being above reproach in every way.

Understand the triggers and the warning signs that tell you that you are particularly prone to sin. And react by fleeing from those rather than waiting for the lustful act itself. Speaking personally, I look for tiny things that may be entirely amoral and seemingly insignificant, but I know that they point to a general relaxing of standards and discipline. When I eat too much junk food or drink too much Coke, I know that I'm relaxing my personal discipline and that I'm only a few steps away from committing a sin I'll regret. So I look for these innocuous things and fight against them. It sounds silly, I know, but I've studied my propensity to sin enough to know where it begins. So find those triggers in your own life, even those amoral things, and react against them. Look for situations that lead you to sin, whether that involves browsing certain web sites or being in certain places or staying up past certain hours.

And finally, seek out an older man who can mentor you. Find a man in your church whom you respect and ask if he will help you fight lust and become a better husband to your wife. Ask him to be not an accountability partner, but a mentor.

Take Heart

And take heart. Many men can testify to God's grace in overcoming sin. Scripture itself testifies that God is eager and willing to put your sin to death. Christ has died to forgive your sin and he has risen and sent his Spirit to give you mastery over it. He reigns and he is on your side. What greater hope could there be?

A La Carte (3/18)

Tim — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:05:12 +0000

Three Great Reads for Easter - Earlier this week I suggested a few books that are suitable for Good Friday reading. Here's the natural follow-up: three books to read before Easter. One, two and three.

Son of Hamas - GQ (of all publications) has an interview with Mosab Yousef, the Christian author of Son of Hamas.

Heavenward - Scotty Smith has moved his blog, which is almost entirely prayers, to Gospel Coalition.

Kindle for Mac - At long last, Amazon has released their Kindle for Mac software. Unfortunately it's like the PC version in that you can view notes you've made using your other devices, but you can't actually take notes or highlight using the software.

ESV App - You'll want to check out the new (and free) ESV app for iPhone.

Top 100 Church Blogs - Church Relevance offers the updated list of the top 100 Church Blogs. (I almost didn't link to this because it seemed somehow arrogant, but I do respect the amount of work CR has put into the list and thought it would be good to acknowledge it)

How To Review a Book

Tim — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:50:39 +0000

I am often asked for pointers on writing book reviews and recently realized that, to my recollection, I've never written on the topic. That may be because I consider myself quite a poor book reviewer. I got into writing reviews (over 500 book reviews ago now) by circumstance more than skill; I had a blog, I read a lot, and book reviews just started to happen. Yet I am aware that I am not a great reviewer. Read the Times or a theological journal and you will encounter a completely different skill level in reviewers.

Having said that, I think I am able to write reviews that appeal to a particular audience. And in that way at least, I've been successful. So today let me share just a few pointers for those who are considering writing reviews for a medium similar to this one.

Know Your Audience

As I said a moment ago, any success I've had owes more to writing for a defined audience than in great skill. I know who reads this site and I try to write about books that will be of interest to that kind of reader. If my IQ was about 100 points higher and if I wrote for Themelios I might read and review Revitalizing Theological Epistemology: Holistic Evangelical Approaches to the Knowledge of God. As it is, though, I know who I am and I know who reads this web site and I try to review books accordingly. Almost by definition, the people who read this site share at least some of my interests and so what is of interest to me is of interest to them. That's part of the beauty of a blog.

So know your audience. Know the kind of book they will want to read and then anticipate the kind of questions they will want answered before they consider reading that book. Here are the types of questions I tend to answer:

What's the Point?

An author will typically not wait very long before offering a defense of his book's existence. He will most often say "This is why I have written this book." I seek to communicate that information within my review. So, for example, in my recent review of The Masculine Mandate I quoted the author as he said, "My aim in writing this book is to help men to know and fulfill the Lord's calling as it is presented so clearly to us in God's Word." It's usually just that simple. But that little bit of information is very helpful to the reader. And you'd be surprised how often reviewers neglect to include it.

Who Is It For?

As an author defines the purpose for his book, he also tends to define his audience. This is not always the case as some books are written for just about anyone (think, for example, of Malcolm Gladwell's books); but most books do have a defined audience. Again, from my review of The Masculine Mandate: "Richard Phillips writes that his new book The Masculine Mandate 'is written for Christian men who not only don't want to lose that precious biblical understanding, but who want to live out the calling to true manliness God has given us.'"

What Does He Say?

Once I've covered the purpose of the book and its intended audience, I tend to offer a summary of what the author communicates. To do this I sometimes pick out just a few of his more substantial points or I may trace his outline, moving chapter by chapter or part by part. In just a few paragraphs I want to offer a summary of the complete book, giving enough to be interesting but not so much that it becomes burdensome. Two or three paragraphs is often sufficient here.

Why Does It Matter?

Before I wrap up the review, I want to help people understand what sets this book apart and what makes it unique. This is often the most important part of the review. In almost every case the book will have some close competition, so it is important to offer evidence of what makes it different from the others. This is a good time to discuss a few of the author's very good or very bad points, to agree with him, to quibble with him or to offer up a wholly different perspective. If he says anything outrageously good or outrageously bad, here is the place to bring that out.

What Do You Think?

Reviews are, by their very nature, subjective. An author of a review cannot entirely remove himself from it. Ultimately, many readers are looking less for a summation of the book's content than they are looking for the opinion of the reviewer. They simply want to know, "Should I read it or not?" Many readers will do little more than skip to the bottom of the review to find that information (which is one of the reasons I avoid star ratings or other easy tip-offs that would allow people to not bother reading the review). So I generally try to offer my own opinion, saying who should read this book and why (or who should not read it and why). At 10MillionWords I've gotten into the habit of closing each review with "Verdict: Read it if..."

Mix It Up

Having said all of this, I find it best not to follow any single structure too rigidly. There are some review styles that call for a kind of stylized rigidity (see PluggedIn's movie reviews as an example) and that is well and good. But unless you have to write within a certain structure, it is probably best to vary things at least occasionally.

There is also value in offering reviews of a variety of kinds of books, a variety of genres. Again, this will depend on the context for those reviews; a theological journal will likely only print reviews of theological books. But often at a blog or in a magazine you will have freedom to try something very different. Know your audience and feel free to tell them about books that are, for some reason, particularly interesting to you, even if they are somewhat unusual.

Logistics

Finally, just a few words about logistics. In terms of length, go with "just long enough." Communicate what you need to communicate but be wary of going too long. This is particularly true when writing for an online publication where people are accustomed to skimming more than reading. A little too short is probably better than a little too long. Also, it's often a good idea to add a "buy it" link at the end of the review, pointing to Amazon or another relevant bookstore. If you are recommending a book and people are going to buy it anyway, you may as well pocket a few cents for referring them.

A La Carte (3/17)

Tim — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:32:26 +0000

The Forsaken Children - I don't know much about this ministry, but I was moved to read a two part story of returning a kidnapped child to his family: Zor-zor and Zor-zor Part 2.

There Is No Overpopulation Problem - Here is an interesting perspective on the supposed overpopulation problem. "Focus on the population 'problem' is essentially a matter of the rich 'downplay[ing] the importance of our own environmental footprint because future generations of poor people might one day have the temerity to get as rich and destructive as us.'"

Jonathan Edwards Center - Jonathan Edwards fanboys will want to take a look at the Jonathan Edwards Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Death and Social Media - Ever wondered what would happen to your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or GMail if you were to die? This article explains.

That Superbowl Commercial - Boundless has an update on that infamous Superbowl commercial."It's been over a month since Focus on the Family's ad appeared in the Super Bowl. From time to time I hear comments that maybe Focus shouldn't have placed the ad, or should have placed a more hard-hitting ad. 'What good has it done?' I hear some ask."

R.C. Sproul on Roman Catholicism - For the past week, Dr. Sproul has been going through the series Roman Catholicism on his radio program, Renewing Your Mind, and will conclude the series on March 19. In this series, R.C. Sproul carefully and respectfully looks at the doctrines that are at the heart of the Catholic-Protestant divide.

Son of Hamas

Tim — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:18:20 +0000

From his earliest days, Mosab Hasson Yousef had a view of the inner workings of Hamas. The son of one its founders, from childhood he was immersed in the shadowy world of Middle Eastern terror and politics. Arrested time and again by the Shin Bet, the Israeli internal intelligence service, he eventually made the decision to become a double agent, working for Israel instead of against her. For ten years, from 1997 to 2007, he lived like this, deeply embedded within Hamas, suspected by no one, yet passing vast amounts of information to Israel. In this way he prevented assassinations, stopped suicide attacks and provided information leading to the arrests or killings of many terrorists. He was Shin Bet's most valuable source of information about Hamas.

In 1999 he had a chance encounter with a British visitor who invited Yousef to learn about the Christian faith. Curious and intelligent, Yousef took this opportunity and was immediately struck by the difference between Jesus Christ and Mohammed, between the Christian faith and the Islam he had inherited from his fathers. In the months that followed he made a slow conversion to Christianity and was quietly baptized.

Eventually Yousef grew tired of his double life and convinced the Israelis to release him from his position with them. With some reluctence they agreed and allowed him to move to the United States where he continues to live today. Son of Hamas is the story of his life, "A gripping account of terror, betrayal, political intrigue, and unthinkable choices," according to the rather verbose subtitle.

And it's a good story that is told well. Yousef offers a uniquely interesting perspective on Hamas and on the political background and context in that area of the world. His story involves just enough action and intrigue to keep it interesting. At times it is almost (but not quite) unbelievable.

One thing I found interesting is that Youself reveals the Israelis not as the good guys but as the less-bad guys. He develops some level of respect for them when he sees that they are fighting for their lives against a host of nations bent on their destruction. But still he shows how they are every bit as willing as the surrounding nations to torture and kill to further their own ends. Their respect for life is not much greater than that of their enemies. So the Israelis really are not the good guys in this story.

And of course I enjoyed reading not just of Yousef's conversion to Christianity but also the long process and the inner turmoil that got him there. It was only through much soul-searching that he was able to see Jesus Christ not just as a prophet but as the Son of God who died for the sin of the world. So often I read books like this and am disappointed to see that the author finds joy in everything but Christ. But here Yousef finds rest and joy and peace only when he submits his life to Christ.

Yousef does not want to be a hero to Christians. At the end of the book he admits his own unsuitability for that task. He is a new Christian and one who is unskilled--still a novice. And yet he is one who has now written a book about his conversion that has landed on the New York Times list of bestsellers. His testimony is powerful and I both hope and expect that God will use it to show others the light that can be theirs if they turn to Christ.

This one is well worth reading. Buy a copy and marvel at God's grace. Marvel at how God will go to great lengths to draw his people to himself.

A La Carte (3/16)

Tim — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:03:00 +0000

The Elisha Foundation - The Elisha Foundation is a great ministry that works with the families of disabled children (mental or physical disabilities). Their annual retreat is coming up and is a time when parents are given a brief respite from the work of caring for their children. Check out the web site for details.

Three Great Reads for Good Friday - Here are three good books you may want to read before Good Friday: one, two and for advanced studies, three.

The End of Publishing - This is an interesting little video that makes some good points and some not-so-good. An explanation of both would take longer than I'd want to give it in A La Carte.

Where Did John 5:4 Go? - Mounce looks at what happened to John 5:4. "This is a pretty big issue, and a simple blog can’t do it justice. It can also degenerate into a pretty ugly discussion; many of the people involved in the discussion don’t know much Greek (if any), and in the worst case scenarios the discussion is reduced to a matter of salvation. “If you don’t believe what I believe about the text of the Bible, you aren’t a Christian.” Let’s see if we can steer clear of this type of ungodliness."

Spring Swag - My friend Becky is offering some great giveaways over at her blog. My guess is that women will find it significantly more interesting than men.

Deal of the Day: Pastor's Package - RHB is offering to pastors a package containing some great resources.

Creationists and Holocaust Deniers - Richard Dawkins explains why Creationists are like Holcaust deniers.

The Basics Conference

Tim — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:15:16 +0000

Note: This is a sponsored post (click here to learn about sponsored posts)

a return to basics: may 10-12

We are pleased to extend an invitation to join for our eleventh annual Basics Conference. As we meet this year, we look forward to God using our time together to encourage us in our work for the Gospel.

a practical look at preaching

In his introduction to the “Priority of Preaching,” Christopher Ash describes how he left a large pastors’ conference feeling like a dog with his tail between his legs. The conference speakers all seemed to be handsome, successful, and strategic and far removed from the ordinary pastor in an ordinary place preaching regularly to ordinary people.

I suspect that many of us can identify with Christopher’s reaction. Our plan hope for this year’s conference is to encourage one another in the essentials of pastoral ministry and particularly to get help with our preaching.

I have invited two very good friends and mentors to join us here at Parkside in May. Sinclair Ferguson is a fellow Scotsman and needs no introduction. John Shearer is well known and loved in his native Scotland and in other parts of the world but will be a new name to many. These men embody the kind of Bible-based, Christ-centered, Spirit-endued ministry that we are seeking to uphold in this conference. I look forward to seeing you in May.

Warmly Yours,
Alistair Begg

conference speakers

Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years. He served eight years in Scotland at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church. more>

Sinclair Ferguson is the Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina. In addition, Dr. Ferguson is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. more>

John Shearer is the Senior Minister at Musselburgh Baptist Church in Scotland. He has pastored churches in Northern Ireland and Scotland and has been involved in a pioneering work in the Republic of Ireland. more>

schedule

Arrival and registration begins at 12:00pm on Monday, May 10. There are seminars scheduled at 3:00pm with our first conference session at 4:30pm. The conference concludes at 12:30pm on Wednesday, May 12. more>

hotels & transportation

We have blocked rooms at three local hotels. Please reserve directly with them but ask for the Parkside Church conference rate. more>

register

Basics is for men: pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and Christian workers or those training for such roles. To the extent that we value male friendship, support and camaraderie, we do not encourage wives to attend. Our brief but meaningful gathering is meant to equip, inspire, and strengthen us in a demanding work.

The conference fee is $140 and $65 for current students. To register online please visit www.parksidechurch.com/basics.

resources

For resources from last year’s conferences please visit http://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/basics-2009/

Note: This is a sponsored post (click here to learn about sponsored posts)

The Marriage Sacrament

Tim — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:49:26 +0000

We don't fully understand the Lord's Supper. Yes, there is a lot we do know and understand about it; we know that it is a means of grace by which we are drawn closer together as a body of believers and, more importantly, drawn closer to the Savior whose death is signified in it. We know that the breaking of bread symbolizes the breaking of Christ's body and the pouring of the wine symbolizes his blood being poured out for us; we know that through the act Christ symbolizes his love for us and the blessings he pours out upon us. And we know that our partaking of the Lord's Supper is a proclamation of our dependence upon Christ, admitting as we take and eat that we need his blood and righteousness. It is clearly far more than the sum of its parts.

And yet what we don't understand so well is how Christ nourishes us through Lord's Supper. When Christ instituted it he said,

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

Christ says that just as eating ordinary food nourishes and strengthens our body, so feeding upon Christ, in a figurative sense, will feed our souls. In this act we both symbolize our dependence upon this food and we experience that nourishment. Though we do not quite know how this happens, we know that we receive spiritual strength through it. And certainly just about any Christian can testify to the joy and strength and spiritual refreshment he has received through the Lord's Supper. We cannot quantify it and yet neither can we (or would we want to) deny it.

Ultimately, though, we celebrate Lord's Supper out of obedience to the Word of God more than we do out of a firm and exhaustive understanding of exactly what it does in us or through us. Though we do not fully understand it, we do it. Christ does not tell us exactly how it works and all that it accomplishes in us, but still he commands us to participate in it and to do so regularly, as part of the life of the church. And so we obey in grateful obedience.

Last year I spent a fair bit of time thinking and writing about sex, mostly in the context of the Sexual Detox booklet I was writing at the time. As I did so, I found myself beginning to think of sex within marriage as an interesting kind of parallel with Lord's Supper. Now, before you accuse me of blasphemy, know that I am not equating the two; rather, I am simply drawing out some similarities between them. What I mean to say is, I think it can be helpful to understand sex as a kind of "marriage sacrament."

We don't fully understand sex. Yes, there is a lot we do know and understand about it; we know that it is a means of grace within a marriage by which a husband and wife are drawn closer together in a uniquely powerful way. We know that sex is more than mere biology, that in the sexual act there is more than just body parts. Instead, sex is an act that involves the body, the soul, the mind, the emotions. It is far more than the sum of its parts.

Yet what we don't understand so well is how and to what extent the sexual union between a husband and wife draws them together. We know that a healthy marriage and a healthy sex life are nearly impossible to separate (which is to say that it is difficult to imagine a healthy marriage in which there is an entirely dysfunctional sex life). And so, like the Lord's Supper, we are often left pursuing sex not because we entirely understand what it is and what it does, but because God commands a husband and wife to have sex and to do so regularly. We trust that he knows the details that remain hidden to us and trust that we ought to be committed to this special act. And so we are to participate in it regularly and joyfully and as means of obedience to him.

Now God has graciously given sexual desire as a means of compelling or encouraging a husband and wife to have sex. And yet any couple can testify that desire rises and wanes, that there are times when sex seems like more work than it is worth or when life just interferes and we find that it has been weeks, months. Here we need to trust that God will reward our obedience in carving out the time and even working deliberately to find the interest. Just as we would be incomplete Christians in an incomplete church if we neglected the Lord's Supper, letting it get pushed aside by other concerns, in the same way a marriage will be incomplete if a husband and wife neglect this gift of God. We may not understand sex as fully as we would like, we may not really know what it does and how it does it, but we do know that God requires it of us and that he does so for our good. And that ought to be enough. We do not need to understand it in order to receive its benefits.

A La Carte (3/15)

Tim — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:59:37 +0000

Scandalous - Over at Discerning Reader we've got a review of D.A. Carson's new book Scandalous. John Bird says, "In his inimitable style, Carson returns us to where we must forever dwell theologically: Christ's cross and resurrection."

Forgiveness - Near to home a police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty. I was moved to read of his wife (both the officer and his wife are believers) and her fight as she seeks to find the ability to forgive the murderer. 'God has freely offered us forgiveness,' she said at the packed sports arena where her husband coached their three sons in hockey. 'To the best of my human ability, with God’s help, I will offer it as well. My hope and my prayer is that all of you will do the same. I know it’s what Vu would have wanted.”

Last Words - The Freakonomics blog writes about some analysis of the last words of criminals about to be executed. For example, "in 36 percent of the last statements, the inmate admits responsibility, and in 32 percent of the statements, the inmate expresses sorrow or seeks forgiveness from the victim’s family. In contrast, only 10 percent of the last statements were coded as criticizing the legitimacy of the death penalty."

The iPad Paradox: Less is More - This article takes an interesting perspective on the limitations of the iPad. "For most users, having more features degrades experience. People suffer information overload and its ugly cousin, runaway gadget complexity. They're harassed and annoyed, not by limitations, but by features they can't find or figure out, and by problems they don't understand. They feel a thrill when gadgets perform basic tasks without fail or hassle."

The One Thing to Want

Tim — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:57:35 +0000

This morning I came across a prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith, one he wrote just recently that focuses on his life in light of the words of Psalm 27. "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple" (Psalm 27:4). Here is what he prays on that basis:

Dear Lord Jesus, if you would say “Yes!” to just one of my prayers… if you would fulfill a single desire and intense longing of my heart, how could I possibly choose wiser than King David? Though I were to assemble a catalogue of commendable requests and redemptive petitions, there is nothing more to be desired than to gaze upon your unmitigated, unfiltered, unabridged beauty.

For on that Day all will be made right. Indeed, Lord Jesus, when you are finally and fully in sight, everything will be made right. Every prayer I’ve ever offered in concert with the heartbeat of heaven will be answered. Every quest and question will either be dissolved or resolved. All wrestling with providence and interceding over circumstance will be done with.

I will shout on that Day what I sometimes only half-heartedly whisper in this day, “My God has done all things well!” There will be no more praying in part… no more knowing in part… no more hoping in part. We shall see you as you are, Jesus, and we shall be like you. (1 John 3:2)

Until that Day, Jesus, please show us… show me, more and more of your beauty. Reveal as much of your beauty to me as I can entertain. For by the light of your beauty my sin becomes much more reprehensible… the gospel becomes much more commendable… your kingdom becomes much more visible… but above all, you become so much more desirable.

Jesus, no matter what I oftentimes think, feel, pout, demand or say… it is you I want more than anything or anyone else. Keep me restless until my heart more fully rests in you. So very Amen, I pray, in the beauty and bounty of your great name.