Andrew Duncan's Will

There have been so many blessings that have come to me in my reading of the One Year Christian History devotional that I told you about on another post. Lately, the blessing was in the form of a Last Will and Testament of a godly man named Andrew Duncan, dated April 14, 1626. Wow. His thinking in his will is along the lines that all of us should want to have about ourselves, our children, and our possessions.

About himself, he said:

". . . First, as touching myself, body and soul; my soul I leave to Christ Jesus, who gave it, and when it was lost, redeemed it, that He may send His holy angels to transport it to the bosom of Abraham, there to enjoy all happiness and contentment; and as for this frail body, I commend it to the grave, there to sleep and rest, as in a sweet bed, until the day of refreshment, when it shall be reunited to the soul . . ."

How's that for the right perspective about ourselves? I love the view of life and death that was realized by these old saints of long ago.

About his children, he said:

"As for the children whom God hath given me, for which I thank His Majesty, I leave them to His providence, to be governed and cared for by Him, beseeching Him to be the tutor, curator, and agent, in all their adoes, yea, and a father; and that He would lead them by His gracious Spirit, through this evil world; that they be profitable instruments . . . holding their course to heaven, and comforting themselves with the glorious and fair-to-look-on heritage, which Christ hath conquered for them, and for all that love Him . . ."

Beautiful! Are we raising our children in such a way that we can have the assurance that Mr. Duncan seemed to have, that we are leaving them to the care of their heavenly Father? And are we making the choices for them now that will give us hope that He will be their tutor, curator, and agent, after we've gone?

Of his possessions, he said:

"As concerning my temporal goods, the baggage and blathrie of the earth, as I have gotten them in the world off God's liberal hand, so I leave them behind me in the world; giving most humble and hearty thanks unto my heavenly Father for so long and comfortable loan of the same."

What can I say? Our early possessions are at the best "baggage" for the journey, but this is a reminder that we will not be taking them with us when we leave here. So, they all should be held with a loose hand, at best, while being thankful to the Lord for them. (I don't know what the word "blathrie" means and couldn't find it in the dictionary. Do you know? Maybe it's some old English word, or some spelling difference.)

Folks, this Last Will and Testament is a prayer. Would it be that we all would have a perspective like Mr. Duncan when we make out our wills.

A Teenage Rebellion

Our copy of this book arrived today and my daughter and I are excited. In case you don't know about it, I thought a quick post was in order. The title is Do Hard Things and it's by Alex and Brett Harris, sons of Gregg Harris, whose writings helped a lot of homeschoolers in the early nineties. The subtitle is "A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations." I got off on the right foot after reading the presentation page:

To our parents, Gregg and Sono Harris.

This book is the message of your lives.

Our triumph is your triumph. We love you.

Wow. How blessed Gregg and Sono are to have such a tribute written to them by their two sons. Alex and Brett are twins, and I think they are nineteen or so. I'm thankful to see a couple of young men who are stepping out in faith and DOING something to help the teens of this day and culture. I particularly like the cover of this book--it has a great color and style for this age group and guys as well as girls will like that.

My daughter (fifteen) and I are reading it separately and she's loving it. From what I've gotten so far, these boys have a lot to say and they can say these things and receive many more listening ears than we older folks ever could. Thank You, Lord, for giving them this vision.

Graduation time is coming, so keep this book in mind. Moms and grandmoms with teens, please think about getting it. I think even the struggling ones will read this, but not only that, I think they just might listen, given the source.

Note: There is more information on this over at the authors' blog. We got our copy from Amazon.

Our Children's Children

Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children. Psalm 128:6

There is a new little bean that is due to sprout this coming October. This little bean is my second grandchild, another kind benefit from my heavenly Father. Truly there is no greater blessing in the latter years of our journey, as all you grands know firsthand. A little while ago, I found this nice quote about this verse, a prayer, in Spurgeon's Treasury of David and thought it was appropriate for now:

Lord, let thy blessing so accompany my endeavours in their breedings, that all my sons may be Benaiahs, the Lord's building, and then they will all be Abners, their father's light; and that all my daughters may be Bethias, the Lord's daughters, and then they will all be Abigails, their father's joy.--George Swinnock

I like this prayer. Even if we don't see it happening yet, maybe it will someday if we keep praying. And this prayer should extend down for our children's children as well.

An Eventful Train Ride

While Providence supports,

Let saints securely dwell;

That hand, which bears all nature up,

Shall guide his children well.

~~Philip Doddridge

An encounter. Maybe that would have been a better title for Chapter 6. But the title I gave to the companion's corresponding chapter will do well enough, since it was an encounter that made the train ride eventful. We saw Horace get wonderfully saved in the last episode and at the beginning of this one, he had regained most of his strength and vitality after his affliction. He had become both fatherless and motherless upon the death of his father, and was returning home on a train after that event. It is here that the author introduced two of the principals of this story: Annie and Maggie. I love the way Mrs. Prentiss wove these two young ladies into Horace's consciousness as he sat near them on his ride home. Actually, there were four young ladies sitting together and chatting at first, but from the mind of our young hero, we watched while two of them got off at the stop before his, and we also took note that he was relieved to see which two remained. We also had opportunity to see his chivalry and then experienced his befuddlement when one of the remaining two young ladies recognized him from some time in the past:

"Who is she? Where can I have met her?" he vainly asked himself. But he had presence of mind enough not to ask her, and he did not pretend to conceal that he was glad to see her, trusting soon to learn, in conversation, who she really was.

But he didn't find out who she was. He only pretended to know and that was a blunder on his part. By the time the chapter ended, with all three of them getting off at the same stop, they all parted with Horace bewildered and confused. You'll have to read it to see it all unfold. It's really quite amusing, I'd say.

But what did I see in this chapter? More than anything else, I see the providence of our God. Not only in the encounter itself, but also in all that led up to it. I see God ordering the steps of this young man who had just recently returned to Him from captivity by the world. And even though it ends with Horace in a state of bewilderment, we leave it knowing that we had been given just a taste of big things to come.

What do you know of God's providence in your life? Is He ordering your steps, even in times of confusion and uncertainty? We'll see what He does in the life of our hero as the plot progresses. His life, albeit fictitious, has been written in this precious little book, authored by one who knew firsthand of the workings of a loving Savior in the life of His children. Our lives have been written out by this same Savior and we should face our futures knowing that all that He ordains is right, and He holds our books in His hand.

The Quality of Mercy

Sometimes blessings come in unusual ways and at unusual times. I received one of those today while grading my daughter's poem she'd learned. I was touched by the beauty of the poem "Silver" by Walter de la Mare which I was grading (she got a 100 on it), but even more so when I read the poem she's currently working on. It's another Shakespeare writing--you may remember I had one posted before. I've always struggled to understand the words of this great poet, but often it's worth the exercise of the mind that we have to put into it. I was somewhat excited today, though, because I understood what was being said in this excerpt from The Merchant of Venice. What beauty are in these words! I'm sure you'll see it too:

The Quality of Mercy

from The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes;

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown;

His scepter shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptered sway,

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute of God himself,

And earthly power doth then show likest God's

When mercy seasons justice.

Wow. Do you get what's being said here about kings? And about God?

Easter Thoughts

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again. Luke 18:31-33

Even though it's early this year (it really sneaked up on me), Easter has been filling the thoughts of most folks this week. Some are thinking about jelly beans, bunnies, coconut eggs, colored eggs, baby chicks, baskets, new clothes, colored "grass", and many other pretty things. Today is the first day of spring, and this is the holiday that brings us to the thoughts and pleasures of the season. (You may like this YouTube video that was made by a member of one of my Yahoo groups. I must say they did a fantastic job of bringing this all home. Try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZVlheNkQFo)

But I choose to bring my thoughts captive to the Passion of my Lord. We as Christians like to read about His life. The gospel accounts are lively and interesting as we read about His journey here on earth. We enjoy learning about His miracles and the accounts about the many encounters with His enemies. We see Him as our Prophet and King. But one of the reasons I like Easter so much is that it's the time when we particularly focus on His office as our Priest, making the ultimate sacrifice for us: Himself. Some months back, I wrote a post reflecting on His determined journey to Jerusalem. We all have our favorite posts that we wrote, and that was one of my mine. Please read it if you ever get a chance; it's here.

At any rate, when the above verses were included in my daily readings one day a couple of weeks ago, my mind was directed to Jerusalem as it was before. Once again, I have a quote by Ryle on this passage:

The love of our Lord Jesus Christ towards sinners is strikingly shown in His steady purpose of heart to die for them. All through His life He knew that He was about to be crucified. There was nothing in His cross and passion which He did not foresee distinctly, even to the minutest particular, long before it came upon Him. He tasted all the well-known bitterness of anticipated suffering. Yet He never swerved from His path for a moment. He was straitened in spirit till He had finished the work He came to do. Such love passeth knowledge. It is unspeakable, unsearchable. We may rest on that love without fear. If Christ so loved us before we thought of Him, He will surely not cease to love us after we have believed. ~ J.C. Ryle

What a Savior. And He is alive. May these wonderful truths about Him fill your thoughts during this Easter season and always. Have blessed holiday weekend, friends.

Our Refuge in This Election

God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea . . .

Psalm 46:1-2

I don't know about you, but I've been a bit distressful over this election. "What in the world are we going to do?" I've been saying. "What's going to happen to our country?" This beloved psalm is just what I needed for these times. Even though I still know that it's possible that our country may be on the verge of judgment for its increasing ungodliness, it comforts me to remember that it is our God Himself who is our hope, not a president.

"He is my refuge and strength." Do not forget the fact that God is our refuge just now, in the immediate present, as truly as when David penned the word. God alone is our all in all. All other refuges are refuges of lies. All other strength is weakness, for power belongeth unto God: but as God is all sufficient, our defence and might are equal to all emergencies. ~ C.H. Spurgeon

A little nugget from The Treasury of David by Spurgeon:

A sure stronghold our God is He,

A timely shield and weapon;

Our help He'll be, and set us free

From every ill can happen.

And were the world with devils filled,

All eager to devour us,

Our souls to fear shall little yield,

They cannot overpower us.

Chew on that, dear friends, between now and November and beyond.

Sunday Snippet - Not Far Enough

Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Mark 12:34

This morning's sermon was about the scribe who came to Jesus to ask Him which commandment was the greatest. This is the scribe who agreed with Jesus when the Lord replied that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. This same scribe even agreed with the Scriptures that teach that God wants our hearts more than outward sacrifices. Think about how far this man had gone in religion, which we can think of as a good thing, but the sad part is that he had not gone far enough. As Pastor John said, not far from is not good enough. God didn't come back and give us indication that this scribe, who had come so far, had eventually repented and believed the whole gospel of Christ. It's sad to think that someone who had come so near had not entered in. Pastor reminded us that greatly mistaken and slightly mistaken are both tragic.

I hope no one reading this post has stopped short of the kingdom. I hope no one is just almost persuaded, like King Agrippa. If you've not gone far enough, see Jesus whose atoning blood was spilled at Calvary for sinners. Embrace this Jesus, repenting and believing in His glorious gospel, being fully persuaded and you will have entered into the kingdom. Nothing can be better than that.

Christian Heroes

This past Christmas, our pastor gave this book to many of us who have served in our church in some capacity. Actually, I think just about every household ended up with one. The title is The One Year Christian History, a daily glimpse into God's powerful work, by Mike and Sharon Rusten. It's a devotional book, with a two page spread for each day of the year. Each day, some event or person is spotlighted, according to the date of some some occurrence in history. The earliest date is in 763 B.C. and the latest is in the year 2000. The 366 devotions can be started any time in the year.

This book is a blessing. You may want to get one for your family. I'm sure you, too, will be blessed. The publisher is Tyndale House, but Amazon and others have it. I've been captivated by some of the stories about people whom I can only refer to as Christian Heroes. It's mind-boggling how many martyrs there have been, some at the hands of other so-called Christians. It did strike me that all persecutors have not been Communists, Muslims or Hindus, but many have been burned at the stake and endured horrible atrocities at the hands of the particular orthodoxy of a time and place. Wow. You'll read about courage that you may not have known existed in the hearts of men and women. My heart has been touched reading these stories. I think yours would be too.

By the way, I've had a series going at the business blog called "Christian Heroes." Maybe you'd like to check those out from time to time and talk to your children about some of the heroes of our faith. I often link to "Glimpses for Kids", a very good site for children, which has all kinds of facts from Christian history. I think it's impotant for our children and grandchildren to know about these things, as it might encourage their young hearts towards greatness.

Remember the Apostle Paul

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 1 Timothy 1:15

From time to time, as many of you know, I feel constrained to write a post about those of Christ's church who are persecuted for their faith. But a post that Stacy Harp made yesterday at the persecution blog made me think. I don't pray enough for the persecutors. If you can, read Stacy's post--it's real food for thought.

I know it may be difficult to hear about some of the horrible atrocities that are committed against Christians and then turn around and pray for God's mercy and grace towards the perpetrators, but I do agree that the Apostle Paul, former persecutor and blasphemer, is a reminder that there is no category of man which is outside of the grace of our God.

Do you pray for the persecutor as well as the persecuted? My confession: I don't. At least not often enough. So as Stacy is reminding us, Paul teaches us a lesson about this.