Jonathan Edwards

I do enjoy reading and especially biographies. I found one recently on Jonathan Edwards and looked forward to getting into it. It wasn't quite what I had expected. It was long and very dry. I tried to follow what the author seemed to think was very interesting, but I got lost in it all. I finally started perusing through to find what I thought would be interesting and ended by reading the "Coda:thinking through Edwards.
I found in this section the following statements:

"To do good is thus to participate in that which defines God."

"This is the end for which man was created: quite simply, to love, to have charity for all things.... All the rest--the envy, the selfishness, the contention that roils one's life--disappears when one exercises this Christian charity."

I am glad I found these treasures, and I am especially glad that I didn't read through the whole book to find them.

I like the idea of the good that I do is participating with God. I had never thought of it that way before. I do good sometimes because it is the thing to do. I am trying to do it out of a heart of love for God, but don't always succeed. I will remember from now on that I have the privilege of participating in what God is doing when I do good.

I am preparing for lessons on I Phil. 2:1-11 and I Cor. 13, so both of these quotes are well timed.

Now if anyone knows of a good, readable, biography of Jonathan Edwards please let me know.

Joy and Glory

I seem to be coming across many things lately that speak of God's delight in being God. I am rereading "The Pleasures of God" because of this. It's a good book to help keep me focused on the fact that "It's not about me!"

Last night I read something that blessed me so much from Tricia McCary Rhodes book "Intimate Intercession."

"Some theologians suggest that joy within the Godhead bubbled up and over, until one day--the Lord exploded with creative energy. First, He formed a universe in which He could put His glory--the essence of His character, attributes, and ways--on display. then came the crown of creation--men and women who, because they were made in His own image, would be able to experience an intimate union with Him, enjoying the glorious mystery hitherto known only by the three-in-one God.

If you or I could travel today outside this life and world and planets and galaxies and every created thing, I believe we would find beyond the pale this exquisite tale of Trinitarian joy, one glimpse of which would flood our hearts with unspeakable yearning. Why? Because we would know instinctively that we were made to be a part of this--that nothing else we've ever experienced could possibly compare. It would seem, perhaps, that we had come home at last.

But the world we live in is a dry and weary land where human beings are haunted by hunger for something outside their reach. Souls once branded with the image of Christ now bear an earthly one. A people destined for glory hide in the shadows of sin, ever turning to lesser gods...

When Jesus redeems us for Himself by His blood, a miracle of rebirth takes place, enabling us to reclaim that which we were always meant to possess--the capacity to revel in and reflect the glory of God. Drawing us into the holy circle of triune joy, God calls us to fulfill our destiny as glory-bearers whose beams will one day cover the face of the earth."

And now to go on with my daily life, trying to remember who I really am and what my real purpose is. May I remember this the next time I get upset about traffic or someone who is rude to me...


"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him!" Piper