To be worth much the mind must sometimes be left to itself. It must pursue its bent, and sometimes condescend even to trifles. Perpetual readers violate this law of the mental constitution, and never with impunity. Those especially who are so exclusively professional in their pursuits as to do everything by rule and compass, to the neglect of all generous literature, and gentle, graceful entertainment, never fail to become rigid, barren of invention, and cold in expression. The grateful interruption of family hours and company are as good for the mind as for the body. Hence I think a married man is more likely to be a successful scholar than a bachelor.

Reflective minds cannot be wholly idle. Even in play, they work on, in spite of themselves. Seasons of intermission often give birth to the bests thoughts.”

James W. Alexander, Thoughts on Preaching

“Perhaps your temptation is not to live in the sixteenth century, or in the world of its discoveries or impacts: you prefer the seventeenth century. It may be that even now you are in the process of absorbing not only the solid teaching of the Puritan writers, and therefore acquiring the stable character that those teachings inculcate. But you may be seeing the Word of God through the eyes in such a way that you are really living three hundred years ago, and have acquired a detachment from the present day and even a cold disdainful attitude towards it that makes you exceedingly unattractive and forbidding. What a pity. For this tendency in you will increase, because, while your love for Puritans and Puritanism is likely to grow as you become absorbed with them and it, the Spirit of God will not bless you in this as He blessed these dear godly men in it. They were dealing with live situations and were making impacts upon them, whereas you are just a dealer in antiquities. The last thing in the world the Spirit of God will do is bless those living out of their own age. Some are big enough to absorb a great deal of Puritan teaching because they can do so quickly, and life is short. Yet they remain ‘on the ball’ of their own day. But many more get lost in the process.”

William Still, The Work of the Pastor, pp.69-70.

Over the past two weeks when walking between rooms, meetings, or to a glass of water, I would hear a question come to the surface. It felt as if, for a moment, the typical rush that I let myself live in slowed, and I could hear the still small voice to ask, “What does it mean?”

Somewhere in the last few weeks a concept has worked its way into my mind. It slyly came in through my ears and burrowed a little hole in my brain. This is the truth that has the question rolling to the surface at a gentle boil.

When Christ died on the cross, he paid the debt of the sin of the world. God’s wrath was poured out against the sin in our hearts and the sin from our hands. Christ’s righteousness was then applied to us, and we have been forgiven before God through Christ. We know this through faith that is the gift of God to us in his grace.

That is the basis for the concept that has been turning over and over:

Therefore it is not just that our sins have been forgiven, but that when Christ’s righteousness covers us – God sees us as if we did everything right. Because of the righteousness of Christ, our sins are paid for, forgiven, and covered by the blood shed for us.

It sounds simple enough, and it might be – I am fairly dense. What grips me is that every moment of shame or guilt that pops into my head, every regret from childhood to yesterday, is covered by the blood of Christ and God the Father looks on me with all the love of a Father whose son could do no wrong.

The weight of tensions Christians walk with each day is heavy and tangible. Even though I know God sees me through Christ’s righteousness, it can at times do little to help me think he actually loves me. I want to trust the pain of regret or sin or guilt more than the word of the Father. More than the actions of the Father in sending the Son.

But the truth is not contingent upon my wants.

The truth is the Word of God, and by his grace we can believe, can have faith to see ourselves as He sees us in Christ. He loves us, not because of anything worthy in us. He loves us because he does, and he has made a way for us to be near him both now and in the day to come.

The Gospel, beautiful in its simplicity – with enough depth to forever keep us marveling at the goodness of God.

Believe today, Christian, that he loves you because of Christ. He loves you with more power than every self-condemning thought or doubt you can muster. Believe.

So what does it mean? It means that we can trust Him.

And this changes everything.

“I have never thought that the circumstance of God’s having forgiven me, was any reason why I should forgive myself; on the contrary, I have always judged it better to loathe myself the more, in proportion as I was assured that God was pacified towards me. (Ezek. 16:63) Nor have I been satisfied with viewing my sins, as men view the stars in a cloudy night, one here and another there, with great intervals between; But have endeavored to get and to preserve continually before my eyes, such a view of them as we have of the stars in the brightest night; the greater and the smaller all intermingled, and forming as it were one continual mass; nor yet, as committed a long time ago, and in many successive years; but as all forming an aggregate of guilt, and needing the same measure of humiliation daily, as they needed at the very moment they were committed. Nor would I willingly rest with such a view as it presents itself to the naked eye; I have desired and do desire daily, that God would put (so to speak) a telescope to my eye, and enable me to see, not a thousand only, but millions of my sins, which are more numerous than all the stars which God himself beholds, and more than the sands upon the sea-shore. There are but two objects I have ever desired for these forty years to behold; the one is my own vileness, and the other is the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; and I have always thought that they should be viewed together; just as Aaron confessed all the sins of Israel whilst he put them upon the head of the scapegoat.”

Mr. Carus, Circumstances of My Inward Experiences via James Alexander, Thoughts on Preaching.

…The Christian scholar should pray with every breath, that he be not high-minded, but fear. In proportion as he rises in attainments, he should sink in veneration, and dissolve in love; striving to increase in his simple devotions as he increases his mental discoveries.

Is there not reason to think, that many learned persons feel somehow absolved from the private daily duties of religion which they would themselves enjoin on humbler minds? That they pray less, read God’s word less, and sing God’s praise less, while they are filling up every hour with eager pursuit of knowledge? To live thus is to belie our own professions.

We declare our belief that truth concerning God in Christ, is the summit of all truth, and that cold science is insufficient; that these glorious objects are to be tasted by faith, and kept constantly before the mind by devotion. Thus believing, we should not grudge the time bestowed on closet exercises. If these are animated by the spirit of grace, they are the most sublime engagements of the mind, this side of heaven.”

- James W. Alexander, Thoughts on Preaching.

Enjoy.

away from the farm

can’t make anything to save a life,

the workshop is now a luxury

our workshop powered by a battery.

We want to build, to create, so everything hinges on being a creative – when we have been made by the Creator.

He has given us the ability to take what he has created and then re-create

with things that we acknowledge he has given us,

let alone the hands we design with or eyes we see with.

The man in the city works with his mind and sabbaths with his hands,

but more often we work too hard and too long, and the boundaries of sabbath wane.

The flood waters of the soul dissipate until the self-discipline that comes from withdrawing,

comes from renewing,

refreshing,

sees the soul spill out amongst the crowd, the clicks, and the ticks of

time to where we find that we have none left to our day,

we have wasted it away.

Reclaim the time

Renew our minds

Be transformed into the image of the Creator,

The Holy One

We his adopted sons and daughters

Acting now like mere sheep for the slaughter

Heads down and hearts empty, eyes glued to the screen.

How much of our world do we hold in our hands

Boxed in by a black rim

Our perspective growing dim.

I don’t know, man. Should we come back later?

It’s now or never – we’ve got to take care of this.

What are they gonna think? No way they’ll trust me.

They will, just give them some time. Let me talk to them. Things are different now.

Things are different now.

Come on, let’s go. I told them we’d be there for dinner.

“The image of God is present in all human beings, and one way that image is displayed is in the form of character qualities; but those qualities, while genuine, are echoes of someone else. The character qualities that we see in unbelievers are not intrinsic to them. Their ‘goodness’ is not their gift to God, but God’s gift to them–common grace. The character qualities they evidence are neither intrinsic nor salvific. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone on the authority of the Scriptures alone, not by developing character qualities. As sinners we must be helped to see the despicable nature of the truth-suppressing fleshly self, and recognize that character, like righteousness, is alien and comes from outside as a gift.”

Sam Crabtree, Practicing Affirmation, p. 95.

who sits before me in his chair

with labored breaths, new cane, faded wrinkled shirt.

for all the work you did to sow seeds in me,

the tumor grows in you almost effortlessly.

the sting in my nostrils of whiteboard markers

with which you taught, drew and proclaimed

stings afresh as I see your hands – clammy, waxen, yellowed

trembling, when your lines were so strong.

but you, when I – a seventh grade boy – took interest in me

to teach me to think Theo-centrically

that God is at the middle of all things

and we begin with him.

fourteen summers since the year we spent

where you listened, cared, and invited me to watch you live.

your friendship as faithful as the tide.

always seeking you out upon return,

through college and post each adventure,

to return to church was to see you there – faithful as ever,

immovable in the Lord like the pillars of the sanctuary.

sweating inside and out when I picked you up for lunch that June day,

I knew that this was our last together – that same deli, air caked in sauerkraut, dijon, and hot corned beef.

how could I thank you – what to say today?

leaving Sue behind, facing death with great Hope – teaching to the end.

parting, we hugged – you rising from your chair,

the stench of the toll of the tumor almost too much to bear.

your service was beautiful – rows of silver headed pallbearers

pillars standing together, supporting each other – one less this day.

thankful to God for you, my friend – who lived, and died well.

when the sun shines no more, for the Son shines,

He will be at the middle

and we will rejoice together in Him.