Week Four, Treasury of Truth

Welcome to the mini-challenge, Treasury of Truth! I hope you benefit from reading, meditating, and studying the Word this month! Perhaps Bible reading isn't a daily part of your life, this would be a great opportunity to start! Here are the goals for this week:

Week four, May 19-May 25
Primary goal: read Psalm 139 five to seven times
Secondary goal: read Psalm 23 three to four times
Extra Credit: read John 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Song of the Week: "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin (amazon mp3)

From Gospel: Recovering the Power That Made Christianity Revolutionary by J.D. Greear

Always "begin again" with the gospel. Abide in it; swim in it; make your home in it. See more and more of your life through it. Be absolutely convinced at every moment of every day of the goodness of God in your life. That's the only way you'll ever really grow. (22-3)

True love for God cannot grow when we are unsure about His feelings for us. (35)

Right now, if you are in Christ, when God looks at you--regardless of your situation--He sees the righteousness of Christ. If we really believed that--not only with our heads but also with our hearts--it would change everything in our lives. (47)

Each day Jesus says to us, "You are my beloved child. I am well pleased in you. Now live that way." Satan, on the other hand, says, "Look at you. Look at the condition of your circumstances. Look at how poorly you're living. There is no way you are God's beloved child." Which voice are you going to believe? There's an eternity of difference between them. (52)

Perhaps one of the reasons we fail to treasure God is we have such a limited view of Him. God is a God of such massive size that our minds cease questioning when we see Him. We tremble and believe. (93)

As we see the beauty of God and feel His weightiness in our hearts, our hearts begin to desire Him more than we desire sin. Before the Bible says, "Stop sinning," it says, "Behold your God." (97)

From Preparing For Jesus' Return by A.W. Tozer

It is essential that we learn how to read the Scriptures, to meditate upon the Scriptures and discipline ourselves in memorizing Scripture. It is absolutely essential that the Bible have top priority in our thought life. Nothing else should surpass the Scriptures. Everything we do should have roots in the Scripture. Our morning sessions with God over the Scriptures should set forth the pattern and temperament of our daily walk that day. We truly have not read the Bible until we have seen Jesus Christ. (197)

David would settle for nothing short of the face of God. Our problem today is that we usually settle for anything and everything but that shining face of God. The cost and inconvenience of pressing deep into His presence are too much for the kind of life we are living. (82)

From Jesus is Victor by A.W. Tozer

The question is this: What are we allowing the Word of God to say to us, and what is our reaction to that Word? Have we consumed and digested the book? Have we absorbed the Word of God into our lives? Or are we among those content to be a part of a Christian congregation where there are no extreme demands, where fellowship will be consistently pleasant and without responsibility? When we, as Christians, love our Lord Jesus Christ with heart and soul and mind, the Word of God is on our side! If we could only grasp the fact that God's Word is more than a book! It is the revelation of divine truth from the person of God Himself. It has come as a divine communication in the sacred Scriptures. It has come to us in the guidance and conviction imparted by the divine Spirit of God within our beings. It has been modeled for us in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word and the eternal Son. (165)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Week in Review: May 12-18

NKJV

• Ruth
• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139
• Jeremiah 3-23
• Matthew 1-2
• Colossians

NEB

• Job 18-42
• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139
• Proverbs 6-27
• Acts 3-28
• Colossians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Hebrews

HCSB

• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139

NIV

• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139

ESV

• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139

RV 1885

• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139
• Colossians

ASV 1901

• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139
• Colossians

NASB

• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139

KJV

• Psalm 25
• Psalm 139
• Colossians
• Revelation

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Another Poem Inspired by Psalm 139

O Lord, in me there lieth nought
But to thy search revealed lies;
For when I sit
Thou markest it;
No less thou notest when I rise;
Yea, closest closet of my thought
Hath open windows to thine eyes.

Thou walkest with me when I walk,
When to my bed for rest I go,
I find thee there,
And everywhere:
Not youngest thought in me doth grow,
No, not one word I cast to talk
But, yet unuttered, thou dost know.

If forth I march, thou goest before;
If back I turn, thou com'st behind:
So forth nor back
Thy guard I lack;
Nay, on me, too, thy hand I find.
Well, I thy wisdom may adore,
But never reach with earthly mind.

To shun thy notice, leave thine eye,
O whither might I take my way?
To starry sphere?
Thy throne is there.
To dead men's undelightsome stay?
There is thy walk, and there to lie
Unknown, in vain I should assay.

O sun, whom light nor flight can match!
Suppose thy lightful flightful wings
Thou lend to me,
And I could flee
As far as thee the evening brings:
Ev'n led to west he would me catch,
Nor should I lurk with western things.

Do thou thy best. O secret night,
In sable veil to cover me:
Thy sable veil
Shall vainly fail:
With day unmasked my night shall be;
For night is day, and darkness light,
O Father of all lights, to thee.

—Sir Philip Sidney, 1554-1586.
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Radical Cross

The Radical Cross.  A.W. Tozer. Christian Publications. 148 pages.

The Radical Cross would make a good devotional book. This little book contains thirty-one (relatively) short readings related (in one way or another) to the cross. There are seven main divisions: "The Radical Cross: Its Power," "The Radical Cross: Its Price," "The Radical Cross: Its Purpose," "The Radical Cross: Its Pain," "The Radical Cross: Its Provision," "The Radical Cross: Its Paradox," and "The Radical Cross: Its Promise." These entries mainly concern the Christian life and suffering: on how the Christian is not called to live a life of convenience and comfort, thinking only of one's self.

I would definitely recommend the works of A.W. Tozer. Some of Tozer I absolutely love; some Tozer I merely like. But there are gems to be found in all of his works. I love Tozer because he was passionately devoted to God; he treasured the Bible and preached boldly.

Favorite quotes:

The cross stands high above the opinions of men and to that cross all opinions must come at last for judgment. (4)

The changed attitude toward the cross that we see in modern orthodoxy proves not that God has changed, nor that Christ has eased up on His demand that we carry the cross; it means rather that current Christianity has moved away from the standards of the New Testament. So far have we moved indeed that it may take nothing short of a new reformation to restore the cross to its right place in the theology and life of the Church. (5)

Everybody has been or is under the sentence of death. (7)

When God justifies a sinner everything in God is on the sinner's side. All the attributes of God are on the sinner's side. (9)

Christ was born that He might become a man and became a man that He might give His life as a ransom for many. Neither the birth nor the dying were ends in themselves. As He was born to die, so did He die that He might atone, and rise that He might justify freely all who take refuge in Him. His birth and His death are history. His appearance at the mercy seat is not history past, but a present, continuing fact, to the instructed Christian the most glorious fact his trusting heart can entertain. (12)

Christianity embraces everything that touches the life of man and deals with it all effectively. Because suffering is a real part of human life. Christ Himself took part in the same and learned obedience by the things which He suffered. It is not possible that the afflicted saint should feel a stab of pain to which Christ is a stranger. (62)

The work of Christ on the cross did not influence God to love us, did not increase that love by one degree, did not open any fount of grace or mercy in His heart. He had loved us from old eternity and needed nothing to stimulate that love. The cross is not responsible for God's love; rather it was His love which conceived the cross as the one method by which we could be saved. God felt no different toward us after Christ had died for us, for in the mind of God Christ had already died before the foundation of the world. God never saw us except through atonement. The human race could not have existed one day in its fallen state had not Christ spread His mantle of atonement over it. And this He did in eternal purpose long ages before they led Him out to die on the hill above Jerusalem. All God's dealings with man have been conditioned upon the cross. (118)

Here are two important truths. The first truth is that no one ever was saved, no one is now saved, and no one ever will be saved except by grace. The second truth is that grace always comes by Jesus Christ. The law was given by Moses, but grace came by Jesus Christ. This does not mean that before Jesus was born of Mary there was no grace. God dealt in grace with mankind, looking forward to the Incarnation and death of Jesus before Christ came. Now, since He's come and gone to the Father's right hand, God looks back upon the cross as we look back upon the cross. Everybody from Abel on was saved by looking forward to the cross. Grace came by Jesus Christ. And everybody that's been saved since the cross is saved by looking back at the cross. Grace always comes by Jesus Christ. It didn't come at His birth, but it came in God's ancient plan. (120-1)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Revelation Chapters 14-22

Revelation 14-22 (Thru the Bible Commentary Series) J. Vernon McGee. Thomas Nelson. 204 pages.

I have finally completed reading all three volumes of J. Vernon McGee's "commentary" on Revelation! (The first volume covered Revelation 1-5. The second volume covered Revelation 6-13).) Overall, I have enjoyed these books. I haven't always agreed with every single sentence or every single paragraph. But his insights have been at times thought-provoking or fascinating. The third volume focuses on the very end of the tribulation. It also covers the millennial reign of Christ and the New Jerusalem. 

Favorite quotes:

Let me make it clear that I make no apology for these scenes of judgment. God has not asked me to apologize for His Word. He has told me to give it out. We need to face up to the facts:1. Sin is an awful thing.2. Sin is in the world.3. You and I are sinners. The only remedy for sin is the redemption Christ offered when He shed His blood on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins.4. You and I merit the judgment of God. Our only escape is to accept the work of Christ for us on Calvary's cross. (52-53)

What God is doing may not look right to you, but if you don't think God is doing the right thing, you are wrong, not God. We need to adjust our attitudes and our thinking. (65)

As we contemplate the destruction of Babylon, we think of other great cities and civilizations of the past which have fallen. One of the most widely read books of all times is The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon in 1788. In it he gives five basic reasons why that great civilization withered and died:1) The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis for human society.2) Higher and higher taxes; the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.3) The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting, more brutal, more immoral.4) The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within--the decay of individual responsibility.5) The decay of religion; faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, losing power to guide the people. (117)

My friend, learning to know Him is one of the things that is going to make heaven heaven. He is so wonderful that it is going to take the rest of eternity to really know Him. The folk we meet down here are not very exciting folk when we get to know them, are they? But the more we know Jesus, the more exciting He will be. (134)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

My Year With Spurgeon, Week #19

God's all cannot be praised with less than our all. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 103

Here David begins his list of blessings received, which he rehearses as themes and arguments for praise. He selects a few of the choicest pearls from the casket of divine love, threads them on the string of memory, and hangs them about the neck of gratitude. Pardoned sin is, in our experience, one of the choicest boons of grace, one of the earliest gifts of mercy,—in fact, the needful preparation for enjoying all that follows it. Till iniquity is forgiven, healing, redemption, and satisfaction are unknown blessings.  ~ Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 103

By purchase and by power the Lord redeems us from the spiritual death into which we had fallen, and from the eternal death which would have been its consequence. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 103

Redemption will ever constitute one of the sweetest notes in the believer's grateful song. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 103

Mercy pardons sin, grace bestows favour: in both the Lord abounds. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 103

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. O glorious verse, no word even upon the inspired page can excel it! Sin is removed from us by a miracle of love! What a load to move, and yet is it removed so far that the distance is incalculable. Fly as far as the wing of imagination can bear you, and if you journey through space eastward, you are further from the west at every beat of your wing. If sin be removed so far, then we may be sure that the scent, the trace, the very memory of it must be entirely gone. If this be the distance of its removal, there is no shade of fear of its ever being brought back again; even Satan himself could not achieve such a task. Our sins are gone, Jesus has borne them away. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 103

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Sovereignty and Supremacy of King Jesus

The Sovereignty and Supremacy of King Jesus: Bowing to the Gracious Despot. Mike Abendroth. 2011. Day One. 240 pages.

I have listened to Mike Abendroth's sermons for over five years now. I love, love, love listening to his sermons, so my expectations were high when I discovered he had a book! I love books that celebrate the sovereignty of God. I do. I LOVE this doctrine.  This book is about God's sovereignty; it touches on the "lordship" controversy, though he prefers to look at it as more of a kingship issue. Do you recognize the kingship of God? Do you recognize his right to rule? Do you recognize his authority and supremacy? God is King. The Bible reveals Him to be King, or King of Kings.

From the introduction: "In this book, I will introduce you to many of the essential facts about God as described by Himself in the Bible. This particular aspect of God--supreme Ruler and King--lends itself to our allegiance, submission, and repentance. There is only one God and King, and that means that all other gods are impostors, frauds, and charlatans."

Favorite quotes:

In our day, people are attempting to protect God from what the Bible says about Him. (27)

You cannot put one little star in motion,
You cannot shape one single forest leaf,
nor fling a mountain up, nor sink an ocean,
presumptuous pigmy, large with unbelief!
You cannot bring one dawn of regal splendor,
nor bid the day to shadowy twilight fall,
nor send the pale moon forth with radiance tender;
and dare you doubt the One who has done it all?
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox (33)

God is God by name, but also by His mind and purpose. (49)

"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!'" ~ Abraham Kuyper (61)

Calvin believed, "Ignorance of Sovereignty is the ultimate of all miseries; the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it." (65)

There is nothing about you that was not sovereignly decided upon by the triune God. Nothing. (75)

"Is it not God who gives the disposition to believe? Is it wrong for God to give grace? If it be right for Him to give it, is it wrong for Him to purpose to give it? Would you have Him give it by accident?" ~ Charles Spurgeon (82)

The King's message should not be delivered with a whimper. (124)

A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim's face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had "read" through the entire Bible four times. (140)

Election elicits praise. Like a tea kettle about to whistle when the water is at a boil, your heart and soul should be ready to cry out with admiration and thankfulness because of the Spirit's work in your heart. (172)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible