Thomas a Kempis - Humble opinion of Self

So often, I find that men that have gone before me put things much better than I could scribble them down on paper. Their word choices bring out with more clarity and punch the very essence of what they want to get across, where sometimes I feel like I'm just rambling about the so-called important thoughts in my mind. But humbleness and humility is something that is not spoken enough about. As I was drifting through this treasure of a book by Thomas a Kempis, I came across this true, yet troubling paragraph. It brings forth the very meaning behind the warning of I Corinthians 10:12. In our fight for our rights, our names to be known, for us to mean something, for significance, for popularity, and just to be plain cool, look at these worldly virtues in the light of what Thomas had to say.
"If you wish to learn and appreciate something worth while, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing. Truly to know and despise self is the best and most perfect counsel. To think of oneself as nothing, and always to think well and highly of others is the best and most perfect wisdom. Wherefore, if you see another sin openly or commit a serious crime, do not consider yourself better, for you do not know how long you can remain in good estate. All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself." - Imitation of Christ

If we take his words as truth, we must lean heavy on the Lord and not trust in our own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all our might, and love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength - begging Him to help us enjoy Him.

"He must increase, but I must decrease" - John the Baptist

Decreasing.
Dwight

Meditation from Edwards on "The Excellency of Christ"

Reading Jonathan Edwards is just plain hard and painful at times. But, he does an excellent discourse on "The Excellency of Christ", and I wanted to share a meditation and hopefully tantalize your appetite, and make you desire to read more of him. I suffer through reading this wonderful man of God, but it is so worth it. Enjoy, and enjoy God because of Him making much of Jesus through men like Jonathan Edwards. May we present Christ to the world as most excellent - and seek to know Him more deeply so that He will pour out of us as we live our lives.
"There meet in Jesus Christ, infinite justice and infinite grace. As Christ is a divine person, He is infinitely holy and just; hating sin, and disposed to execute condign punishment for sin. He is the Judge of the world, and the infinitely just Judge of it, and will not at all acquit the wicked, or by any means clear the guilty.
And yet He is infinitely gracious and merciful. Though His justice be so strict with respect to all sin, and every breach of the law, yet He has grace sufficient for every sinner, and even the chief of sinners. And it is not only sufficient for the most unworthy to show them mercy, and bestow some good upon them, but to bestow the greatest good; yea, it is sufficient to bestow all good upon them, and to do all things for them. There is no benefit or blessing that they can receive, so great but the grace of Christ is sufficient to bestow it on the greatest sinner that ever lived. And not only so, but so great is His grace, that nothing is too much as the means of this good. It is sufficient not only to do great things, but also to suffer in order to it; and not only to suffer, but to suffer most extremely even unto death, the most terrible of natural evils; and not only death, but the most ignominious and tormenting, and every way the most terrible that men could inflict; yea, and greater sufferings than men could inflict, who could only torment the body. He had sufferings in His soul, that were the more immediate fruits of the wrath of God against the sins of those He undertakes for." - Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume i. p. 681 (Hendrickson Edition).

May the words of Edwards lead us to love Jesus more and enjoy Him more. May we seek Him first and savor Him as the all-surpassing Value of our life. Read difficult theologians and struggle with me in this endeavor, but ENJOY God.

Savoring the Excellency of Christ.
Dwight

Free Audio from the Desiring God Conference

Wow!
An amazing, God-centered, supremacy of Christ focused & exalted time this past conference was. It made my mind and heart so full that I didn't know what to do with myself most of the time. What an amazing lineup of speakers and men that just love God these guys were. It was so incredible to sit under their teaching for a short amount of time. It gave me a deeper appetite to search for the deeper things of God.
Anyways.... I could go on and on with how incredibly exhorting it was for me to be under the teaching of the Word from these men, or around the company of the brave Jesus-warriors from my church, or what a joy it was to be so full and filled with God that I couldn't talk at points, I was in awe - but that wasn't really what I was writing about.
I wanted to hook you all up with free audio from this conference. If you live in a postmodern society (which you all do unless you are hiding in a bombshelter still from one of the world wars or living in Cuba, where you have bigger problems than postmodernity), then you need to listen to these messages, because it brings the focus back to Christ for all of them. People need to be saved out of postmodernity, because it is a religion in itself. Don't buy into the idea that it is just a different way of being a Christian. That's crap and don't believe it! Follow Jesus! Share the gospel - because that is what Jesus said to do.
Free Audio:
Desiring God Conference Audio

Praise God for free audio and ministries like Desiring God that provide such things as these. They further my Christian walk more than they realize, I'm sure. Take advantage of these. And for people that don't have highspeed internet or an ipod (Alain, that is you), you need to repent and go and get both of those things, because you can listen to more John Piper, Mark Driscoll, D.A. Carson, Timothy Keller, David Wells & for you Alain, Ravi Z. Go buy one. And for any other people that are too hesitant about investing in these forms of technology - stop being such a sally and go get them, because they help us enjoy God by being able to listen to so many great servants of the Almighty in so much capacity, which fits neatly into our "5th pocket".

Enjoying God.
Dwight