Jared Longshore's Blog

Measuring Themselves by Themselves

Humans have a pernicious tendency to compare themselves with one another. And we can see how easy it is to fall into this trap that stunts our growth in glory. We are created in the same image. And we naturally notice each other’s virtues and vices. But, after the observation, comes the comparison. Another’s wealth or wisdom, her talent or beauty, his fruitfulness and generosity becomes the standard by which we measure ourselves. This type of measuring requires no look to Christ and can only result in pride (when we outmeasure another) or malice and envy (when we fall short). 

Paul warns of this in 2 Corinthians 10:12, “They measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” The remedy is to measure ourselves according to the rule which God has given us. Doing that results in a two-fold blessing. We will always see the true place where we have fallen short. And we will, at the same time, see grace upon grace. As you prepare to confess your sin, look to the face of Christ, ask the Father who knows you inside and out where the shortfall is. And do so knowing that in His goodness and kindness, He will sanctify you completely.

The post Measuring Themselves by Themselves appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Bibles Laid Open

Bibles laid open, millions of surprises, fine nets and stratagems.

George Herbert

The post Bibles Laid Open appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Eat the Fat and Drink the Sweet

One of the truths that has fed the spirit of our church for some time now is that we fight with our joy. Joy is the sword we weild against the enemy. It is the canon balls that we fire against the world, the flesh, and devil. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” There have always been lies, slanders, and sassy citizens railing against the kingdom of God. And we shouldn’t be surprised, “If they called the master of the house beelzebub, how much more will they malign those of his household?” (Matthew 10:25). But it is remarkably frustrating to the spite brigade when the people they’re shooting their arrows at, namely you, keep eating the fat, drinking the sweet, and offering them steak and cupcakes.

What really frustrates the enemy in such moments is that he has run up against something other worldly. Something that he won’t overcome but might be overcome by. Namely, the joy of the Lord.

You are the elect of God, holy and beloved. This joy is yours. It has been bought and paid for. So, don’t make the mistake of trying to chase down joy as if it is illusive. Your joy has already come down. It is saturated in the earth beneath your feet. It is before you and behind you in the very air of this world. It is pumping into your eyeballs, nostrils, and ear drums every day.

Here at this table you eat that joy as bread and wine. And it indeed is your strength. It will never fail. You will be a jolly and generous saint for Christ has given Himself to you. Come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

The post Eat the Fat and Drink the Sweet appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

High Time He’s Evicted

What you must remember about confession of sin is that the man who confesses his sin has taken a step into greater freedom. He is a man who has taken a step farther up into glory. In other words, Uncle Screwtape is going to give Wormwood a beating for what is about to happen here in a moment. Screwtape won’t be happy. The holy heavenly hosts will be, and you, your spouse, and children will be, too.

This is all the more important to remember because it takes a good dose of strength to confess the sins that really need to be confessed. We often let the Lord in and say, “Do pardon the dust on the lamp shades” while the real problem is a dank lizard living like some squatter down in the basement. We do that sort of thing because the smelly reptile seems like far too much to handle.

It is true enough that the lizard is too much for us to handle. But no one said you were to handle the lizard. You are supposed to name him. You are supposed to point at Him and say, “Lord, it is high time that he be evicted.”

It only takes one look around this morning to see that we live under the heavy blessing of God. And when your Father in heaven asks you, “How much of my blessing would you like in the days ahead?” The only possible answer is: “All of it, sir.” The pathway forward then is simple, honest confession, “This is the one to whom I will look, he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2)

The post High Time He’s Evicted appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Too Much to Handle

“The one principle of hell is — ‘I am my own.’” George Macdonald said that, and he was right. By contrast, this table speaks the exact opposite. It may be possible to come in an “I am my own” spirit to try and grab at this table. But it is very hard to attempt such a feat and no one has done so successfully. The Spirit of this table has a way of overwhelming the selfish and prideful spirit of hell. As with the gates, the table of hell cannot stand against the table of heaven.

Here you come to a table that is not your own. And you are very much not eating alone. You come with other purcahsed ones. Here He strengthens you with righteousness that is not your own and the joy of another. So if the one principle of hell is “I am not my own,” then the one principle of heaven is “I was bought with a price.” Here you were carrying yourself around as if you had purchased yourself at the market (and this was stressing you out given all the maintenance required). But this heavenly table disposses you. This bread and wine laughs at your fussy and possesive self-management until you start to laugh at it too, realizing you were too much to handle. Come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

The post Too Much to Handle appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

The Sheeted Face Unveiled

In 2 Corinthians 3:18, God’s word says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory.” Your growth in glory, then, is fueled by seeing the glory of another, an outter glory, a glory set apart from you. And, conversely, your growth in glory will be stunted by following yourself around with a mirror. It has been said that one of the liberating things about becoming a Christian is the liberty from keeping one of those wretched diaries where the author ruminates on the course of his own thoughts and emotions. Reading one of those entries is like watching a cat chase its tail, amuzing for a moment, then insufferable. 

The veiled man can think over his own thoughts, ponder what could be, and he can reason about why he feels so happy, or sad, or dead to the world. But he cannot see the bright morning star in the east, or the harvest moon in autumn. He cannot suck the marrow out of creation through his sheeted face. The torn veil means it is time to live as Lewis once suggested, “Open your eyes and ears. Take in what is there and give no thought to what might have been there or what is somewhere else.”

The post The Sheeted Face Unveiled appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

In the Presence of Your Enemies

God’s pattern is to feed His people in the presence of their enemies. And this is simply something that we must get comfortable with. There is something in every saint that longs for the day when we will be able to sit down at table with no enemies lurking out there on the edge of the woods. But that final feast of the Lord is still out in front of us. For now, we live by faith, and as we do so we can rejoice in real peace and gladness, not put out of sorts by the presence of our enemies. 

It should not surprise us that God deals with us in this way. At this table, He teaches us to trust Him by the presence of those enemies and it has always been this way. So it was for Israel when they first ate the passover in the land of Egypt, surrounded by Pharaoh’s army. And so it was with our Lord Himself who instituted this meal in a city that killed the prophets and would soon kill Him. So as you come, resist the impulse that insists every single problem must be set right in order for you to come with gladness of heart. Faith sings at this table so those enemies can hear. Faith raises a glass at this feast so they can see just what a good time we are having. Faith proclaims the Lord’s death within ear shot of the world and all of its troubles. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

The post In the Presence of Your Enemies appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Temperance and Patience

Christians generally know that they should exercise temperance and patience. However, we can often forget what these virtues are for. This forgetfulness really is a problem because knowing what they are for makes all of the difference. Peter lists temperance and patience side by side in a list of virtues that should be added to our faith and he concludes the list by saying “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful” (2 Peter 1:8). The fruit is guaranteed if you patiently endure the lack of fruit and don’t lose your mind and emotional stability when weeds pop up.

Temperance then is not ultimately about having less than you could but the pathway to abundance. And patience is not simply enduring uncomfortable circumstances but bearing the cross so that you can wear the crown. Believing this promise is essential to exercising temperance and patience in the moment. These things are to be added to your faith and there is no way to add them to unbelief.

The post Temperance and Patience appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

The One Principle of Hell

The one principle of hell is — ‘I am my own.’

George Macdonald

The post The One Principle of Hell appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Wine on the Lees

Isaiah 25:6 says, “And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.” You have come to that mountain, to Mount Zion, the city of our God. Assembled here before you is the fulfillment of that prophet who spoke so many centuries ago. Here is a feast of fat things full of marrow and here is wine on the lees well refined. 

This bread is the body of Christ broken for you and this cup is the blood of Christ shed for you. And this sacrament belongs to all of those who have taken God’s triune name upon their heads in baptism. From the greatest of you down to the little ones to whom belongs the kingdom of God, your Father calls you to come, eat, and drink and remember the Lord Jesus Christ. 

As you do so, know that you come to commune with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His flesh is meat indeed and His blood is drink indeed. Your soul must nourish itself on the life found in Him or else it will shrivel up like a crusty raisin in the sun. But to those of you who come in faith, you will find here the feast of the Lord designed to meet your hunger with sustenance and your weariness with gladness of heart. 

As you come to our one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, come as His one body. Scripture says that we who are many are one bread, so come as one bread to the true bread of life who has come down from heaven to feed hungry men. Come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

The post Wine on the Lees appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.