Jared Longshore's Blog, page 5

Upon Our Heads

When our God and Father swore an oath to save us from our sins, He was not satisfied to leave that oath floating up in the ether. He sealed our salvation on earth in His Son’s blood two thousand years ago. And that same salvation is sealed to us in baptism. The promise of God is not far from us. He brings that promise down like the flood waters in Noah’s day, like the Spirit at Pentecost. He brings that promised down right upon our heads in these waters of baptism. In them Christ says, “Behold, I am with you always.”

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Act Like Men

A society led by weak men will not be a society for long. Be it the family, church, or state, these societies are living organisms that must be guarded and governed by the faithful sons of Adam. Paul’s directives are straightforward, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 6:13). Fathers, it is your duty to watch your family, to watch our community, to know what evils assail the things that we love. And when you identify those evils, it is your duty to stand there, unmoving, to act like a man and meet those evils with the strength God has given you.

Our country and culture is steeped in effeminacy and we would be foolish to think that the plague of soft men has not crept in among us. It takes strength to pray. It takes strength to obtain wisdom. It takes strength to love, to govern with patience and understanding, to provide for a family. So take an honest assessment of where you have been lazy, or soft, or complaining. And take an honest assessment of what needs to be done that you have left undone. Confess that before the Lord, and ask Him for strength to rectify the situation.

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Robert E. Lee

My dear sister:

I am grieved by my inability to see you. I have been waiting for a more “convenient season,’ which has brought to many before me deep and lasting regret. We are now in a state of war which will yield to nothing. The whole South is in a state of revolution, into which Virginia, after a long struggle, has been drawn; and though I recognize no necessity for this state of things, and would have forborne and pleaded to the end for the redress of grievances, real or supposed, yet in my own person I had to meet the question whether I should take part against my native state. With all my devotion to the Union, and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, and my home. I have, therefore, resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defense of my native State with sincere hope that my poor services will never be needed. I hope I may never be called upon to draw my sword. I know that you will blame me, but you must think of me as kindly as you can, and believe that I have endeavored to do what I thought right. To show you the feeling and struggle it has cost me, I send you a copy of my letter of resignation. I have no time for more. May God guard and protect you and yours, and shower upon you everlasting blessings, is the prayer of

Your devoted brother,

R. E. Lee 

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Enter Into the Joy

In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the good and faithful servants were told, “Well done . . . enter into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23). This parable was a parable of the kingdom of heaven into which you have entered. What the master said to the servants in the parable, your Master says to you here, “Enter into the joy of your Lord.” One of the foundational things to remember if you would be a joyful human is that joy of the saints is just like their righteousness, it is not their own. It is the joy of another in which they participate. 

God our Father delights in His Son and the Son delights in His Father and that mutual love between the Father and the Son is a Spirit of Love. The remarkable grace is that we have been born unto life by that love, washed by that love, convicted, helped, and comforted by that Spirit of love and joy. So as you come and welcome to Jesus Christ, do remember that you come and welcome to all that He is and all of His benefits. Here you receive the whole Christ and that is to enter into His everlasting joy. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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Laughing on the Highway of Holiness

When it comes to form and freedom, people have a tendency to opt for one or the other, which is a really bad idea. You can find families, churches, or organizations that are all form without freedom or all freedom without form. Form without freedom is strict enough, but suffocating, like a well-orderd classroom in which nobody learns anything. Freedom without form is wild enough, but one does question whether the kids should be doing back flips off of grandma’s china cabinet.

The natural man’s instinct is to pull back on the freedom or relax the form. Man pursues this middle way of mediocrity because it is managable and doesn’t require faith in the God who is three in one and one in three. But Chrisitans follow in the footsteps of the Triune God and that way is freedom in form and form in freedom. Whatever your particular temptation you do not need to add a dash of freedom or add a pinch of form. You need to laugh and bound your way down the highway of holiness, which come to find out is the only way to go down that particular street.

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More Food Than You Could Ever Eat

As God has said to His people in ages gone by, so He says to you today, “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10). This promise pertains to all of God’s blessings and one of those blessings is that we would be filled with His Spirit. So as you come to partake of the Lord Jesus Christ, remember that you also partake of His Spirit and He invites you to open your mouth as wide as possible. 

One of the reasons Christians grow stagnant in faith and obedience is because they forget just how powerful and active the Spirit is. God has far more food than you can ever eat. This meal is far more potent than those among us with the greatest faith can comprehend. This being true, why not expect great things from God and attempt great things for Him? Do you really think that His Spirit is constrained by your bad habits? Ah, you think far too highly of your habits. Send them into the ring against this bread and wine and watch. Come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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The Flesh Is No Help at All

One of the things that is so impressive about the Spirit of God, one of the things that makes us love Him and marvel at Him, is His freedom. The Spirit blows where He wills. And He cannot be contained. He will not be put into a box. And He will not be bossed around. 

As you consider your noble aspirations, blessed children, delightful marriages, a Christian town, successful vocations, you must grow in hard work that relies upon the Holy Spirit. “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). 

Consider this closely. Whatever gains you have, and whatever gains you see in others, are a direct result of the Spirit’s quickening, His moving and His filling. 

Some hear this and think that they are not supposed to move. They are not supposed to plan or work. But that is to miss the point entirely. You have to move, plan, think, sweat, cook, clean, and all the rest. And you must do all of that trusting in the third person of the Trinity. You have to fight the giants either way. But there is only one way for you to win. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

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Appearances Are Deceiving . . . Sometimes

A clergyman may be apparently as useless as a cat, but he is also as fascinating, for there must be some strange reason for his existence.

GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy.

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Chew With the Soul

If the ascension of Christ has anything to teach us at this table it is that you’re going to have to chew with more than your mouth. He really has ascended bodily so if you are going to eat His flesh and drink His blood, you’re going to have to use more than your teeth. But strangely enough not less than your teeth. This table teaches us that Christ has joined all things together, things in heaven and things on earth. And so as your mouth eats this bread and drinks this cup so your soul eats the body of Christ and drinks His blood. 

This makes the modern mind explode. And makes the Christian heart say, “Wow.” Nothing could be more mysterious and more plain at the same time. If the spirit of Christ gives life to your mortal body (Romans 8:11) why is it any surprise that the body of Christ gives life to your thirsty soul (Psalm 42:2)? So do you need courage? Eat it. Do you need fortitude? Drink it. Do you need peace? Eat His flesh. Do you need gladness of heart? Drink His blood. Come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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Calvinism Under Jove

Reformation Calvinism was born under Jove. It flourishes under Jove and is spiritually healthy there. But for the last several centuries (at least) it has come under the baneful influence of Saturn . . . Just as Lucy and Susan wouldn’t feel safe around Bacchus unless Aslan was around, I don’t feel safe around Calvinists under Saturn. When these precious doctrines of ours are used to perpetuate gloom, severity, introspection, accusation, slander, gnat-strangling, and more, the soul is not safe.

Doug Wilson, Chestertonian Calvinism

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