Coram Deo (October 2013)

“Till the Lord opens them, the eyes of our heart are blind. Till the Spirit has become our instructor, all that we know is folly and ignorance. Till the Spirit of God has made it known to us by a secret revelation, the knowledge of our divine calling exceeds the capacity of our own minds.” —John Calvin

Coram Deo: By faith we “are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). In the kingdom, one Christian is not “more of a citizen” than another Christian. There is not one class of believers that has access to the King in a way that another class of believers does not. In Christ, we have all that we need to be full members of the Lord’s people. Even when we feel like our faith is weak, we who trust Jesus have as many privileges in the kingdom as those whose faith is stronger.

"To venture upon the occasion of sin, and then to pray, 'Lead us not into temptation', is like one who thrusts his finger in the fire and then prays that it might not get burnt. There ordinarily is no victory over sin without also avoiding the occasion to sin." —Thomas Brooks

Coram Deo: The new Testament makes it clear that we are living in the period of restoration when God is calling His children back to Himself. Jews and Gentiles alike are hearing the gospel and running to Him in faith. Each of us who believes in Christ has an appointed inheritance—the whole earth (Matt.5:5). Each of us is being transformed so that the Lord can dwell among us permanently at His return. We now taste these blessings in part, and we look forward to their full realization in the age to come.

"God allows bad stuff to happen to His children, such as losing one’s job. The Bible doesn’t promise that we will never lose our jobs. We might. but if we are Christians, we know that the things that should really make us afraid—sin and God’s punishment—are taken care of. Our future is guaranteed." —Jonathan Leeman from "Fear of Job Loss" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: We make real progress in holiness in this life as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and conforms us to the image of Christ. However, we still await the Lord’s return in order for us to be fully perfected in righteousness. As we grow in holiness and the awareness of our own sin, we always see just how far short of His glory that we fall, and we are reminded that we need Him to set all things right. Let us pursue holiness, trusting that He will consummate His good work in us.

"The Spirit strives with the consciences of men, debating in their own hearts the case against them, and shows man his sin in all its ugly colors." —William Gurnall

"As we find our joy and treasure in Christ we are set free from debilitating worries about money and an insidious slavery to things." —Frank Cavalli

Coram Deo: In biblical categories, strength and service go hand in hand. Christian leaders do not seek out others to be their servants; rather, they serve the people who are under them, seeking to help them grow in their gifts and to assist them in doing good work for the kingdom (Mark 10:35–45). This principle applies whether you are an elder in the church, own your own business, serve as a manager, or are leading your own children in the things of God.

Q: What do you mean when you say that “preaching is a dangerous thing”?
Paul Washer: Preaching is dangerous for both the preacher and the hearer. It is dangerous for the preacher because a great stewardship has been laid upon him, and with privilege comes great responsibility. Woe to us if we do not preach the gospel, and even greater woe if we preach it in error.

Coram Deo: Even we who believe in God can sometimes be guilty of living our lives as if He did not exist. How often do we drive around town, work at the office, dig in our gardens, read a book, prepare our food, and so on without thinking that our Lord is watching and sustaining us? As you go about your business this week, endeavour to keep yourself aware of the Lord’s presence no matter what you are doing. Remember that He loves you and is working through you.

"Fear and anxiety are not necessarily sin—that Jesus was anxious before His suffering upon the cross proves this to be the case. Fear of pain or danger is quite natural. Yet in the midst of Jesus' anxiety in Gethsemane, He nevertheless trusted His Father to see Him through the horrific ordeal to come." —Kim Riddlebarger from "Fear and the Sovereignty of God" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

True repentance demands that we own our sins. Despite the world’s pressure, we must accept that we were lured and enticed by our own desire, and that desire conceived and gave birth to the sin that looms large over us (James 1:14-15). . . . As long as we are blame shifting, God knows we are not yet ready to receive pardon solely on the basis of grace." —Conrad Mbewe from his weekend devotional "Owning Our Sin" from this month's Tabletalk magazine

Consider how amazing it is that God, who will not suffer any loss of His glory (Isa. 48:11), places His honour at stake in His plan to bring redemption to the world. What love is this? He condescends to us and assures us He will certainly do all that He promises! He pledges to do all that He swears to do, because if He does not, He would not be the one, true God of creation, nor would He be the faithful Lord of Israel. Rejoice in His covenant love for all of His people today. —From a Bible study in Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: Most of us would likely be considered ordinary people who will never make the history books. From a human perspective, we may not seem all that “great.” Yet from God’s perspective, ordinary is what we want to be. He brings about His will through the instrumentality of ordinary people making ordinary decisions such as the best way to teach their children the Bible or how they can reach their next-door neighbour with the gospel. The Lord uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

"God’s love is a powerful liberator. It frees us from the trap of self-absorption and opens us to the other. Love gives us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hands to extend to our God and neighbour." —Kelly Kapic from "How Then Should We Love?" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: For the most part, God's hand of providence remains hidden, and we do not know how things will turn out for us before they actually occur. At times we must trust the Lord and do the right thing even if we know it might cost us our livelihood or even our lives. On these occasions, we must remember that God is ever working for our good and His glory, and we must trust Him to vindicate us for doing what is right even if this vindication may not come until after our deaths.

"The easiest way to summarize the Bible’s teaching on sexuality is to begin with God’s blessing of sex only within the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. Then, just remember that sex outside of that covenant relationship, whatever its form or expression, is explicitly forbidden." Albert Mohler from "The Challenge of Same-Sex Unions" in the April 2012 issue of Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: According to His humanity, our Saviour was often sustained by the ministrations of faithful women who loved Him more than their own lives. We have an opportunity to minister to Jesus today, not directly as these women did, but indirectly by helping out His body the church. As we care for one another, especially those who minister for His sake full time, we are showing love and concern for our Saviour. May we love one another and meet the needs of God’s people (Matt. 25:31–46).

"We must preach the gospel to ourselves. This demands that we keep our noses in the Bible, listening for God's voice, founding our confidence on Him and His promises rather than on ourselves. What we will find in the Word is that though 'our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything' (1 John 3:20)." —Kris Lundgaard from "Fear of Self" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: God is the sovereign Lord of history who causes kingdoms to rise and fall according to His decree. Nothing happens apart from His having ordained it in eternity past, and this is a comforting truth. It tells us that everything in history has a purpose even if we cannot now discern what that purpose happens to be. All events great and small are being used of the Lord to advance His glory and our good, and His control over all things is the only way we can be confident of that precious truth.

"The imagination is a necessary component for reading fiction books, nonfiction books, and, of course, for reading the Bible. God’s book engages our imaginations by the parables of Jesus, the poetry of the Psalms, the adages of the Proverbs, and, of course, the apocalyptic language of the prophets." —Tony Reinke from "Dragons and Holiness" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: Each of us faces unique circumstances that make it hard for us at times to know how we can best witness to Christ as we live in this world. However, the example of Daniel and his friends shows us that discovering how to serve God best is not an impossible feat. While there are many things from the culture that we can accept and enjoy, there is always a line to be drawn somewhere. Let us seek to live wisely in the world according to God’s word that we might not be of the world.

"Godliness, of all man's works, is of the greatest importance, and the one thing truly necessary. Earthly business, honours, pleasures, or whatsoever, are but trifles and baubles compared to this. If it were a matter of small moment, you might be lazy and loiter about it; but it behoves you to set your heart to it." —George Swinnock

"If you are not delighting in God in his Word, you will become enthralled and thrilled by something else, some lesser thing. Remember that you are hardwired for pleasure and delight. God has made you like that because He made you for Himself. You must be feeding the life of faith to grow strong, and you feed it through the Word of God." —Tedd Tripp from his weekend devotional "Flourishing as Christians" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

How do you feel when the name of the Lord is taken in vain? Do you shudder in fear for those who do so, or has this common sacrilege become unnoticeable to you? Perhaps you are guilty of profaning His name in speech or in how you come before Him in worship? Consider how you may have taken God’s name in vain recently. Pray that you would not blaspheme Him and encourage your friends to revere His glorious name in thought, word, and deed. —From the Tabletalk magazine Bible study "The Meaning of Holiness"

Coram Deo: Our Lord and Saviour is the rock not cut by human hands, the virgin-born Saviour who delivers the crushing blow to all of God’s enemies and whose kingdom then enlarges to cover the whole earth. As we see nations rise and fall, we are not to be alarmed but to be reminded that this is how the Lord manifests Himself in history so that one day God will be recognized as all in all. Jesus has triumphed and His kingdom is expanding even now.

"Any response to distant fears that emphasizes information and preparation over trust is ungodly to its core. Information and education are not wrong, but they are not our first response. God's people turn to Him first: 'We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you' (2 Chron. 20:12)." —Edward Welch from "Fear of the Future" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: We serve God not because of what He promises us in the here and now but because of what He promises us in eternity to come. Let us serve God for who He is and trust in His wisdom to deliver us no matter how He sees fit.

"To publically pray positively for our leaders, whether liberal or Mormon, is not an optional extra—it is a command from the Lord." —David Robertson from "Praying for Politicians" in the March 2013 issue of Tabletalk magazine

Coram Deo: From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture commends humility and castigates those who are arrogant and proud, who believe that they are masters of their destiny and achieve greatness solely by their own efforts. May we never think of ourselves more highly than we ought in order that we might enjoy God's eternal blessing.

Coram Deo: God so often uses the meek, the powerless, and even the subjugated to show those who think they are mighty that they are not actually mighty at all. We should keep this in mind when we see the church in our day suffer ridicule and marginalization, and pray that the Lord would move the high and mighty to seek us out to learn about our God.

"If we want a new reformation, and such we ought, we should look no further than the very first of those theses, which reads, 'When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent," He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.'" —R.C. Sproul, Jr. from "Repentance and Reformation" in the June 2010 issue of Tabletalk magazine