Monday, February 18, 2013

resolve to send the day into eternity - adoniram judson

A life once spent is irrevocable. It will remain to be contemplated through eternity…The same may be said of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever. All the marks which we put upon it, it will exhibit forever…Each day will not only be a witness of our conduct, but will affect our everlasting destiny…How shall we then wish to see each day marked with usefulness?! It is too late to mend the days that are past. The future is in our power. Let us, then, each morning, resolve to send the day into eternity in such a garb as we shall wish it to wear forever. And at night let us reflect that one more day is irrevocably gone, indelibly marked."  

Adoniram Judson, quoted in The Life of Adoniram Judson by Edward Judson, pp.14-15

Thursday, February 7, 2013

"Are you building the church or building your career?" Mark Dever to pastors

From a message called "Centrality of the Church in Disciple-Making" given at the 2013 Desiring God Pastors Conference

Christians enjoy feeling convicted


“I see a trend in many churches where people are beginning to enjoy convicting sermons. They walk out feeling broken over their sin. The distorted part is that they can begin to feel victorious in their sadness. They boast, ‘I just heard the most convicting message, and it ruined me!’ The focus is on the conviction itself and not the change it is meant to produce—change that doesn’t necessarily follow when we stay focused on conviction. Guilt is not always a good thing. It is only good if it leads us past sorrow to the joy of repentance.” Francis Chan