Coram Deo: As servants of Jesus, we are not greater than our Master. In serving others, bearing God’s wrath to atone for our sin, He endured unimaginable suffering. We will “suffer” as well when we have to refrain from exercising the full extent of our freedom in Christ as we serve others. At such times we should look away from ourselves to our Saviour, asking for Him to sustain us when we must bear with the scruples of others, praying that by our doing so they will grow to Christian maturity.
Coram Deo: Certain books and passages of Scripture have played greater roles in the history of theology than others; thus, it’s no surprise that some portions of the Bible are read more often than others. However, we must not make the mistake of thinking that there is any unimportant part of Scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired it all, and it is all given for our edification (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Let us therefore study the whole counsel of God and not just isolated portions of it.
"Ingratitude is dishonourable by anyone’s reckoning, but to be wilfully ungrateful toward the Creator in whose image we are made is to deny an essential aspect of our humanity. The shame of such ingratitude is inscribed on the human conscience. Even the most dogmatic atheists are not immune from the knowledge that they ought to give thanks to God. Try as they might to suppress or deny the impulse, 'what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them' (Rom. 1:19)." —John MacArthur from the weekend devotional "All Dressed Up and No One to Thank" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine
Everybody out there, despite their claims to the contrary, knows perfectly well that God exists. —R.C. Sproul
Those who complain about the problem of evil also have the problem of defining the existence of the good. —R.C. Sproul
Coram Deo: If we are fretting about God’s will for us in a particular situation and one of the options available is ungodly, we may fret no longer. We are never allowed to disobey our Creator’s revealed standards, and if one of our options would require us to do that, we must immediately choose otherwise. The Lord’s will for us is our sanctification, so we must study Scripture diligently in order to know His will and to understand what the holiness He demands looks like.
"As I live out the travail that follows life on this side of glory, hardly a day goes by that I am not forced to look at Romans 8:28 and remind myself that what I’m experiencing right now feels bad, tastes bad, is bad; nevertheless, the Lord is using this for my good." —R.C. Sproul from "For My Good?" in the January 2010 issue of Tabletalk Magazine http://bit.ly/1uLe53o
"Where were you when Jesus found you? Was it not when you were dead in your sins and battered by sin’s consequences? May we always marvel at God’s 'amazing grace—how sweet the sound—that saved a wretch like me' and count it all joy to be part of the redeemed and cleansed bride of Christ—His church." —Eric Watkins from the weekend devotional "Meeting Jesus" in this month's Tabletalk Magazine
Coram Deo: Paul said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16b). He had an unquenchable desire to preach the gospel, as God had called Him to the vocation of pastor, church planter, and Apostle, granting him the desire for such work. We may not have such a desire to preach. Ours might be “Woe to me if I do not teach kindergarten!” or “Woe to me if I do not open a restaurant!” Whatever the case may be, a strong desire for a particular work often indicates that work is for us.
Coram Deo: Sometimes the external call to a particular vocation comes before a man or woman receives an internal call. If several individuals are noticing particular gifts in you or are suggesting that you pursue a certain line of work, it is worth taking their advice seriously and considering whether they might be right even if you have not yet felt an internal call. There is wisdom in a multitude of wise counsellors (Prov. 15:22).
"Love discriminates. A husband’s exclusive love for his wife makes her feel positively special among other women. The same holds true for individual Christians and the church as a whole: we are the most treasured people on earth." —Jonathan Gibson from "Why Does It Matter?" in this month's Tabletalk Magazine http://bit.ly/1zV3zbi
Coram Deo: Though we should be appropriately concerned about making the right decisions and the potential consequences of all of our choices, it is pointless for us to worry excessively about where we will be in the future. We cannot know God’s hidden will that has decreed the future, so fretting about it is a waste of time. We simply need to consider what we know is pleasing to the Lord. If we please Him today, we have done all that He requires of us.
Coram Deo: It is a good for us to engage in critical self-assessment throughout our lives. Even if we have been in a particular job for a long time, the demands of the job and our interests can change to the point where we may no longer be a good fit for it. At that point, it may be time to consider another vocation. Self-assessment also helps us do our current work better. The more we know our gifts and desires, the better we can work with our co-workers to produce the best product or service possible.
Coram Deo: Even if we find ourselves in jobs that would not be our first choice, we can find joy in our work as we seek to serve God in them. In all that we do, we are not serving merely ourselves or our employers; rather, we are also serving the Lord. In fact, we are serving Him first and foremost. No matter what we do, we should do it as unto God, for we will receive from Him a great reward (Col. 3:22–25).
"The last image God gives us in Scripture is of a heavenly city, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21). It is a place that has no pain, no sorrow, and no death. It is a place where God wipes every tear from our eyes. It is a place where we experience 'fullness of joy'—the joy of God’s presence. This is our destination, and we’re already on the road. For Christians, this life is merely the childhood of our eternal happiness." —Thomas Brewer from the weekend devotional "Grown-Up Joy" in this month's issue of Tabletalk Magazine
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