Expository Thoughts on Mark #2

This post will cover chapters Mark 9-16 in J.C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark. Here is my post on chapters 1-8. An online version can be found here.

I am really loving this series of books by J.C. Ryle. I would love to read Luke and John this year as well.

Mark 9:1-13
Mark 9:14-29
Mark 9:30-37
Mark 9:38-50
Mark 10:1-12
Mark 10:13-16
Mark 10:17-27
Mark 10:28-34
Mark 10:35-45
Mark 10:46-52
Mark 11:1-11
Mark 11:12-21
Mark 11:22-26
Mark 11:27-33
Mark 12:1-12
Mark 12:13-17
Mark 12:18-27
Mark 12:28-34
Mark 12:35-44
Mark 13:1-8
Mark 13:9-13
Mark 13:14-23
Mark 13:24-31
Mark 13:32-37
Mark 14:1-9
Mark 14:10-16
Mark 14:17-25
Mark 14:26-31
Mark 14:32-42
Mark 14:43-52
Mark 14:53-65
Mark 14:66-72
Mark 15:1-15
Mark 15:16-32
Mark 15:33-38
Mark 15:39-47
Mark 16:1-8
Mark 16:9-14
Mark 16:15-18
Mark 16:19-20

Mark 9

The things that we learn by smarting experience, abide in our memories, while truths heard with the ear are often forgotten.

It is never too soon to strive and pray for the salvation of the souls of children — never too soon to speak to them as moral beings, and tell them of God, and Christ, and right, and wrong.

It is not for nothing that He reminds us again that He must die. He would have us know that His death was the great end for which He came into the world. He would remind us that by that death the great problem was to be solved — how God could be just, and yet justify sinners. He did not come upon earth merely to teach, and preach, and work miracles. He came to make satisfaction for sin, by His own blood and suffering on the cross. Let us never forget this.

There is a real hell, and that hell is eternal. Fearful and tremendous as it is, it ought to be pressed on all, as one of the great truths of Christianity.

It is not possible to say too much about Christ. But it is quite possible to say too little about hell.

Mark 10

The marriage relationship lies at the very root of the social system of nations. The public morality of a people, and the private happiness of the families which compose a nation, are deeply involved in the whole question of the law of marriage...In short, the nearer a nation's laws about marriage approach to the law of Christ, the higher has the moral tone of that nation always proved to be.

So long as we think that we can keep the law of God, Christ profits us nothing. Let us pray for self-knowledge. Let us ask for the Holy Spirit to convince us of sin, to show us our own hearts, to show us God's holiness, and so to show us our need of Christ.

We must never forget that Jesus feels love and compassion for the souls of the ungodly. Without controversy He feels a distinguishing love for those who hear His voice and follow Him. They are His sheep, given to Him by the Father, and watched with a special care. They are His bride, joined to Him in an everlasting covenant, and dear to Him as part of Himself. But the heart of Jesus is a wide heart. He has abundance of pity, compassion, and tender concern even for those who are following sin and the world.

If men are lost, it is not because Jesus does not love them, and is not ready to save.

Mark 11

But never let us forget that the crowning fact in all we know of Jesus Christ, is His death upon the cross. From that death flow all our hopes. Without that death we would have nothing solid beneath our feet. May we prize that death more and more every year we live; and in all our thoughts about Christ, rejoice in nothing so much as the great fact that He died for us!

It is appropriate and right that we should never forget the union of the divine and human natures in our Lord's person. If we saw His divine acts only, we might forget that He was man. If we saw His seasons of poverty and weakness only, we might forget that He was God. But we are intended to see in Jesus divine strength and human weakness united in one person. We cannot explain the mystery; but we may take comfort in the thought, "this is our Savior, this is our Christ — one able to sympathize, because He is man, but one Almighty to save, because He is God."

Justifying faith is that act of the soul by which a man lays hold on Christ, and has peace with God. Its special object is the atonement for sin which Jesus made on the cross.

God's free forgiveness of sins is our highest privilege in this world. God's free forgiveness will be our only title to eternal life in the world to come. Then let us be forgiving during the few years that we are here upon earth.

Mark 12

There is no truth so little realized and believed as the "desperate wickedness" of the human heart.

Not least, let us teach our children to value the Bible. The very best portion we can give them, is a knowledge of the Scriptures.

How striking is our Lord's description of the FEELING with which we ought to regard both God and our neighbor! We are not merely to obey the one, or to abstain from injuring the other. In both cases we are to give far more than this. We are to give love, the strongest of all affections, and the most comprehensive. A rule like this includes everything. It makes all petty details unnecessary. Nothing will be intentionally lacking where there is love.

We cannot err in our affection toward God in the matter of excess. He is worthy of all we can give Him. We are therefore to love Him with all our heart.

It is only gross ignorance of the requirements of God's law which makes people undervalue the Gospel. The man who has the clearest view of the moral law, will always be the man who has the highest sense of the value of Christ's atoning blood.

But education alone will never make a Christian in the sight of God. We must not only know the leading doctrines of the Gospel with our heads, but receive them into our hearts, and be guided by them in our lives.

We know, from our Lord's own words in another place, that the Old Testament Scriptures "testify of Christ." (John 5:39.) They were intended to teach men about Christ, by types, and figures, and prophecy, until He Himself should appear on earth. We should always keep this in mind, in reading the Old Testament, but never so much as in reading the Psalms. Christ is undoubtedly to be found in every part of the Law and the Prophets, but nowhere is He so much to be found, as in the book of Psalms. His experience and sufferings at His first coming into the world — His future glory, and His final triumph at His second coming — are the chief subjects of many a passage in that wonderful part of God's word. It is a true saying, that we should look for Christ quite as much as David, in reading the Psalms.

Let us beware of undervaluing, or despising the Old Testament. In its place and proportion, the Old Testament is just as valuable as the New. There are probably many rich passages in that part of the Bible which have never yet been fully explored. There are deep things about Jesus in it, which many walk over like hidden gold mines, and know not the treasures beneath their feet. Let us reverence all the Bible. All is given by inspiration, and all is profitable. One part throws light upon another, and no part can ever be neglected without loss and damage to our souls. A boastful contempt for the Old Testament Scriptures has often proved the first step towards infidelity.

Mark 13

Let us understand that we live in a day of election, and not of universal conversion. There will be no universal peace until the Prince of Peace appears. There will be no universal holiness until Satan is bound.

The second coming of Christ shall be utterly unlike the first. He came the first time in weakness, a tender infant, born of a poor woman in the manger at Bethlehem, unnoticed, unhonored, and scarcely known. He shall come the second time in royal dignity, with the armies of heaven around Him, to be known, recognized, and feared by all the tribes of the earth. He came the first time to suffer — to bear our sins — to be reckoned a curse — to be despised, rejected, unjustly condemned, and slain. He shall come the second time to reign — to put down every enemy beneath His feet — to take the kingdoms of this world for His inheritance — to rule them with righteousness — to judge all men, and to live for evermore.

Mark 14

If a man once understands the sinfulness of sin, and the mercy of Christ in dying for him, he will never think anything too good or too costly to give to Christ.

How many truths we read yearly in the Bible, and yet remember them no more than if we had never read them at all! How many words of wisdom we hear in sermons heedlessly and thoughtlessly, and live on as if we had never heard them!

Let us pray for a quick understanding in hearing and reading God's word. Let us search into every part of it, and not lose any precious truth in it for lack of care.

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." It should be the Christian's daily motto from the time of his conversion to the hour of his death.

We must pray without ceasing, regularly, habitually, carefully, and at stated times. We must pray as well as watch, and watch as well as pray. Watching without praying is self-confidence and self-conceit. Praying without watching is enthusiasm and fanaticism.

There was no accident or chance in any part of the close of our Lord's earthly ministry. The steps in which He walked from Gethsemane to Calvary were all marked out hundreds of years before.

Let us learn to be charitable in our judgment of other Christians. Let us not expect too much from them, or set them down as having no grace at all, if we see them overtaken in a fault. Let us not forget that even our Lord's chosen apostles forsook Him in His time of need. Yet they rose again by repentance, and became pillars of the Church of Christ.

Let us live in the daily recollection that our Savior is one day coming back to this world. Let the Christ in whom we believe, be not only the Christ who died for us and rose again — the Christ who lives for us and intercedes — but the Christ who will one day return in glory, to gather together and reward His people, and to punish fearfully all His enemies.

Mark 15

We should remember that His death is the life of our souls, and that unless His blood had been shed, we must have perished miserably in our sins.

We are all by nature in the position of Barabbas. We are guilty, wicked, and worthy of condemnation. But "when we were without hope," Christ the innocent died for the ungodly.

Our plea must ever be, not that we are deserving of acquittal, but that Christ has died for us.

May we never rest until we can say by faith, "Christ is mine. I deserve hell. But Christ has died for me, and believing in Him I have a hope of heaven."

In the instant that our Lord drew His last breath, the work of atonement for a world's sin was accomplished. The ransom for sinners was at length paid. The kingdom of heaven was thrown fully open to all believers. All the solid hope that mortal men enjoy about their souls, may be traced to the giving up the spirit on the cross.

Mark 16

A slight sense of our debt to God will always be attended by a slight sense of what we owe for our redemption.

Finally, let us never forget, that Christ's believing Church in the world is of itself a standing miracle. The conversion and perseverance in grace of every member of that Church, is a sign and wonder, as great as the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The renewal of every saint is as great a marvel as the casting out of a devil, or the healing of a sick man, or the speaking with a new tongue. Let us thank God for this and take courage. The age of spiritual miracles is not yet past. Happy are they who have learned this by experience, and can say, "I was dead, but am alive again — I was blind, but I see."

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Verse study, Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2)

If I want to fully understand this verse, what other scriptures do I need to consider to help me understand this one better?

Psalm 119:37: Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things and give me life in your ways.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

1 John 2:15: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

Psalm 119:11: Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

Psalm 19:7-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.


Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

John 15:9 As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.



© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Name Above All Names (2013)

Name Above All Names. Alistair Begg and Sinclair B. Ferguson. 2013. Crossway. 192 pages.

Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names. The names assigned him begin in Genesis and end in Revelation. Taken together, they express the incomparable character of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Reflecting on them better prepares us to respond to the exhortations of Scripture, to focus our gaze upon him, and to meditate on how great he is.

I really enjoyed Name Above All Names by Alistair Begg and Sinclair B. Ferguson. Noting that "being able to think long and lovingly about the Lord Jesus is a dying art," they've written this book to inspire or encourage readers to consider Jesus more. The book is divided into seven chapters. Each chapter focuses on a name of Jesus; together these chapters illustrate: how Jesus Christ is the Seed of the Woman, how Jesus Christ is the True Prophet, how Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest, how Jesus Christ is the Conquering King, how Jesus Christ is the Son of Man, how Jesus Christ is the Suffering Servant, how Jesus Christ is the Lamb on the Throne. Each chapter is rich in Scripture. The two make a very good argument that Jesus can be found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. I love how they use the Old Testament, how they focus on how Christ has fulfilled OT prophecies. I think I learned the most from chapter one, "Jesus Christ, the Seed of Woman."

[Genesis 3:15] And so these words, almost at the beginning of Genesis, give us an important insight into the whole message of the Bible. It is a library of books that traces an ages-long cosmic conflict between the two "seeds." (20)

In fact, the apocalyptic vision of Revelation 12 is almost like a movie version of Genesis 3:15. We are invited to watch, in dramatic, high-definition, Technicolor with special effects, the prophesied ongoing conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent and its final outcome.This is the underlying plotline of the whole of Bible. It appears in embryo in the very next chapter of the book of Genesis. One brother (Cain) is in conflict with another brother (Abel) because the latter's sacrifice was acceptable to God. Jealousy and murder result as the seed of the Serpent (Cain), seeks to destroy the seed of the woman (Abel). The same plotline makes its way through the tow of Babel as man seeks to build his kingdom over against God's. But in sovereign power God pulls down that kingdom and destroys its unity. This is also the story of Egypt against Israel. It is the story of Goliath against David. It is the story of Babylon against Jerusalem, of Nebuchadnezzar against Daniel. It is the story of Satan against Jesus, and of Pontius Pilate and Herod seeking to destroy the Savior. It is the story that runs through the Gospels and beyond. The Jews seek to destroy Jesus during his ministry: "You are of your father the devil," he says. It is the story of how the enmity then turns on the Christian church. Thus the story of the ages is beginning to unfold here already in Genesis 3:15. (22-3)

I also found the chapters on Jesus as prophet, priest, and king very helpful! I'd often heard that Jesus is prophet, priest, and king. But hearing it and understanding it aren't the same thing! Some of these titles or names are very familiar, but being familiar doesn't mean we understand everything we need to know, or know all there is to know.

I would definitely recommend this one!

Favorite quotes:

Sometimes non-Christians say to us, "The God I believe in is a God of love." But they do not know themselves. For the Bible's analysis is: "No--you have exchanged the truth about God for a lie. You don't believe that he is love. You wouldn't live the way you do if you really believed that." (32)

It is the cross alone that ultimately proves the love of God to us--not the providential circumstances of our lives. (32)

[Quoting Robert M'Cheyne] "Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. Let your soul be filled with a sense of the excellence of Christ." (37)

This is our great need--to have our minds and hearts filled with a sense of the greatness and incomparable glory of Christ. When you think about the deeply narcissistic age in which we live and how much we are tempted and encouraged to be focused on ourselves M'Cheyne's words still echo in our ears down through the corridors of time. We need to take them to heart every single day." (37)

The reason he comes to us as prophet is to deal with our ignorance. (38)

G.K. Chesterton shrewdly commented on this kind of thinking when he said that once people stop believing in the God of the Bible, they don't believe in nothing--they begin to believe in anything! (42)

Jesus is not only the revealer; he is the revelation! (45)

Jesus leads every worship service you attend! He is the "worship leader." (66)

In true worship, Jesus is present, and he is leading the singing! (71)

That puts a new light on worship. Who would not want to sing with Jesus? He makes our singing give pleasure to his Father. His singing of praise covers all the inadequacies of ours. (71)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

My Year with Spurgeon: Week 24

Remember, dear Friends, that Christ Himself is the Word of God, and also remember that the Scriptures are the word of the Word. They are "the word of Christ." I think that they will be all the sweeter to you if you realize that they speak to you of Christ, that He is the sum and substance of them, that they direct you to Christ, in fact, as John says of His Gospel, that they were "written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name." Remember, also, that the Scriptures do, in effect, come to us from Christ. Every promise of this blessed Book is a promise of Christ, "for all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us." They all come to us through Christ, God speaks them to us through Him as the Mediator. Indeed, we may regard the whole of the Sacred Scriptures, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, as being "the word of Christ." ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

You must believe it, live upon it, drink it in—you must let it soak into your innermost being as the dew saturated the fleece of Gideon. It is not enough to have a Bible on the shelf—it is infinitely better to have its Truths stored up within your soul. It is a good thing to carry your Testament in your pocket—it is far better to carry its message in your heart. But mind that you let it get right into you! ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

I have often noticed how such people let the novels get right into them, trash as they generally are—but when the most of people read the Bible, they appear to be anxious to get the unpleasant task finished and put away! In some cases they seem to think that they have performed a very proper action, but they have not been in the least affected by it, moved by it, stirred by it. Yet, if there is any book that can thrill the soul, it is the Bible! ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

There is no book so fitted or so suited to us as the Bible is. There is no book that knows us so well. There is no book that is so much at home with us. There is no book that has so much power over us if we will but give ourselves up to it! ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

Oh, to have "the word of Christ" always dwelling inside of us—in the memory, never forgotten! In the heart, always loved! In the understanding, really grasped with all the powers and passions of the mind fully submitted to its control! I love those dear Christian people who do not need to refer to the printed page when you speak to them about the things of God, for they have the Truth in their hearts. They have a springing well within their souls at all times and they have only to hear a Scriptural theme started and, at once, they begin to speak of the things which they have looked upon and their hands have handled of the Word of Life, because it dwells in them. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

To push the truth of Christ up into a corner of your nature—to fill the major part of your being with other knowledge and other thought—is a poor way to treat "the word of Christ." It deserves the fullest attention of the best faculties that any man possesses. The Truth of God revealed by the Holy Spirit is so sublime that its poetry outsoars the eagle wings even of a Milton. It is a deep so profound that the plumb line of Sir Isaac Newton could never find the bottom of it. The greatest minds have been delighted to yield their highest faculties to its wondrous Truths. Dear young Friends, you who have only lately put on Christ, I beseech you not to let other books stand on the front shelf and the Bible lie behind. Do not, for the most part, read those other books and only read small portions of Scripture now and then—let it always have the chief place. The most excellent of all sciences is the science of Christ Crucified and the Bible is the textbook for all who would learn it! If other forms of knowledge are useful, they are like the planets—but the knowledge of God as revealed in Christ Jesus is as the sun. Let this always be the center of your system of knowledge and let all the rest that you know move in subordination and subjection to that first and best form of knowledge. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

We know the people who live in our home, but we do not really know other people. When someone asked Mr. Whitefield, "What do you think of Mr. So-and-So's character?" He answered, "I cannot say, for I never lived with him." Ah, that is the true test! It is living with people that lets you know what they are. In like manner, if you will live with "the word of Christ," especially if you will let it dwell in you and abide with you as a constant friend, you will get to know it better, and the better you know it, the more you will love it. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, if you meet with a man who finds fault with the Bible, you may be certain that he never read it. If he would but read it in the right spirit, he would be of another opinion. And if you find a professing Christian indifferent to his Bible, you may be sure that the very dust upon its cover will rise up in judgment against him! ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

The Bible reader is always the Bible lover, and the Bible searcher is the man who searches it more and more. Various pursuits have a measure of fascination about them, but the study of God's Word is fascinating to the highest degree. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

The Bible is a book that has no bounds to it. Its thoughts are not as men's thoughts, a multitude of which may go to make up half an ounce! Any one of the thoughts of God can outweigh all the thoughts of men. This Book is not a book of pence, or a book of silver, or even a book of gold, but a book whose every leaf is of untold value! He shall be enriched, indeed, who lets "the word of Christ" richly dwell in him.  ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

"The word of Christ" must dwell in you and then you must become a Mutual Instruction Society. Every Christian should exercise the office of the pastorate according to his ability and his opportunity. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

It is well to be busy for the Lord, but it is still better to be in communion with Him. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

Oh, may "the word of Christ dwell in us" so richly that you shall bless God from morning to night! May you so overflow with holy thought and sacred knowledge that your whole being shall be a hymn of praise to the Most High and your entire existence shall be a glorious hallelujah! I do not think that we, any of us, sufficiently value the Divine ordinance of praise. Neither do I think that we ever shall, till "the word of Christ" has taken full possession of our souls. ~ Charles Spurgeon, Christ's Indwelling Word

       

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quoting A.B. Simpson

From Days of Heaven Upon Earth: A Year Book of Scripture Texts and Living Truths. A.B. Simpson. Originally Published 1897. 372 pages.

January 1.  “Redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:16). Two little words are found in the Greek version here. They are translated “ton kairon” in the revised version, “Buying up for yourselves the opportunity.” The two words ton kairon mean, literally, the opportunity. They do not refer to time in general, but to a special point of time, a juncture, a crisis, a moment full of possibilities and quickly passing by, which we must seize and make the best of before it has passed away. It is intimated that there are not many such moments of opportunity, because the days are evil; like a barren desert, in which, here and there, you find a flower, pluck it while you can; like a business opportunity which comes a few times in a life-time; buy it up while you have the chance. Be spiritually alert; be not unwise, but understanding what the will of God is. “Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, buying up for yourselves the opportunity.” Sometimes it is a moment of time to be saved; sometimes a soul to be led to Christ; sometimes it is an occasion for love; sometimes for patience: sometimes for victory over temptation and sin. Let us redeem it.

January 2. But these spiritual habits are not the outcome of some transitory impulse, but are often slowly acquired and established. They begin, like every true habit, in a definite act of will, and they are confirmed by the repetition of that act until it becomes a habit. The first stages always involve effort and choice. We have to take a stand and hold it steadily, and after we have done so a certain time, it becomes second nature, and carries us by its own force. The Holy Spirit is willing to form such habits in every direction of our Christian life, and if we will but obey Him in the first steppings of faith, we will soon become established in the attitude of obedience, and duty will be delight.

January 7. It is the little stumblings of life that most discourage and hinder us, and most of these stumblings are over trifles... let us keep the heavenly flame aglow upon the altar of the heart. It takes very much less effort to maintain a good habit than to form it. A true spiritual habit once formed becomes a spontaneous tendency of our being, and we grow into delightful freedom in following it. 

January 21. "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) An important help in the life of prayer is the habit of bringing everything to God, moment by moment, as it comes to us in life. This may be established as a habit on the principle on which all habits are formed, of repeated and constant attention, moment by moment, until that which is at first an act of will, becomes spontaneous and second nature... God is ever wanting to add to us, to develop us, to enlarge us, to teach us more and more, but it is ever in the line of things which He has already taught us, and in which we have been established.

January 30. Some one has said that the devil can wall us in, but he cannot roof us over. We can always get out at the top. Our difficulties are but God's challenges, and He makes them so hard, often, that we must go under or get above them.

January 31. What people need to-day to satisfy their deep hunger and to give them a permanent and Divine experience is to know, not sanctification as a state, but Christ as a living Person, who is waiting to enter the heart that is willing to receive Him.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Children's Favorite Bible Stories

Children's Favorite Bible Stories. Compiled by Tama Fortner. Illustrated by Natalie Carabetta. 2012. Thomas Nelson. 432 pages.

Children's Favorite Bible Stories is a good resource for families, churches, and libraries. It features 192 stories. The stories are not retellings or adaptations. Each story uses the text from the International Children's Bible, an easy-to-read Bible translation. The length of each story is one to two pages. Each story has a "let's pray" and "going deeper" feature. The going deeper consists of "read it" and "do it." The "let's pray" feature has a prayer, a bible verse, or a poem. Sometimes a combination of all three. In addition, some stories have even more extra features--such as "special words," "did you know?" or "quote of the day." The length of each story is quite manageable and would make it a good choice for read aloud during family devotions.

There are 77 stories from the Old Testament: 32 from the Pentateuch; 28 from the History books; 7 from the wisdom books; and 10 from the Prophets, major and minor. There are 115 stories from the New Testament. (60 of these are from the gospels.)

Jesus, Friend of little children,
Be a friend to me;
Take my hand and ever keep me
Close to Thee
Teach me how to grow in goodness,
Daily as I grow;
Thou hast been a child, and surely
Thou dost know.
Never leave, nor forsake me;
Ever be my Friend;
For I need Thee, from life's dawning
To it's end.  ~ Walter J. Mathams (p. 164)

God be in my head
And in my understanding;
God be in my eyes
And in my looking;
God be in my mouth
And in my speaking;
God be in my heart
And in my thinking. ~ Sarum Primer (p. 294)

Two little eyes to look to God;
Two little ears to hear his Word;
Two little feet to walk in his ways;
Two little lips to sing his praise;
Two little hands to do his will
And one little heart to love him still. ~ Traditional (p. 356)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Glory of Heaven (2013)

The Glory of Heaven: The Truth About Heaven, Angels, and Eternal Life. John MacArthur. 1996/2013. Crossway. 224 pages.

I really enjoyed reading John MacArthur's revised edition of The Glory of Heaven. In this new edition, MacArthur addresses new books and trends that have come about since the original publication. Specifically, MacArthur discusses three major book publications: Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo, To Heaven and Back by Mary C. Neal, and The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven by Kevin Malarkey. That is not to say that MacArthur's only point in writing this book is to criticize those three books specifically. No, his point is to instruct:

What God has revealed in Scripture is the ONLY legitimate place to get a clear understanding of the heavenly kingdom. This is a point we will come back to repeatedly: the Bible is our only reliable source of information about heaven. I want to show you why it is misleading and dangerous to probe and dissect people's near-death experiences, as if they could give us some important truth about the afterlife that we are lacking from Scripture. I also want to show you what Scripture teaches about heaven, angels and the afterlife. And together we will see that what the Bible says about these things is indeed sufficient--because we know Scripture furnishes us with everything we need to know to be equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). There's nothing any eyewitness testimony could reliably add to that. (18-19)

In his critique of other books, he quotes directly from those books. He doesn't just generalize and condemn. He shows you why those books don't hold up to Scripture; he illustrates why these books are dangerous--dangerous if accepted as authoritative or true--by showing their weaknesses, their failure to match up with the Bible, with sound biblical teaching and doctrines. He looks at half-a-dozen books at least, all published within the last fifty years. Some are more 'out there' than others. But the accounts blended with some Christian truths are the more dangerous.

Contents: "Heavenly Hash," "Heaven is Real; Hallucinations Are Not," "Delusions of Grandeur," "This World is Not My Home," "What Heaven Will Be Like," "New Jerusalem," "What We Will Be Like In Heaven," "The Heavenly Host," "Appendix 1: Seduced by the Light," "Appendix 2: The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven," "Appendix 3: To Heaven and Back."

Quotes:

Accepting the reality of supernatural things is not the same as believing the truth. When an unbelieving mind rejects the authority of Scripture but embraces the reality of the supernatural realm, the result is always catastrophic. (27)

The current best-selling heavenly travelogues all have one disturbing tendency in common: they manage to make the heavenly tourist seem heroic while making heaven itself sound somewhat mundane. (51)

It is quite true that heaven is a place of perfect bliss--devoid of all sorrow and sin, full of exultation and enjoyment--a place where grace and peace reign totally unchallenged. Heaven is where every true treasure and every eternal reward is laid up for the redeemed. Anyone whose destiny is heaven will certainly experience more joy and honor there than the fallen mind is capable of comprehending--infinitely more than any fallen creature deserves. But if you actually saw heaven and lived to tell about it, those things are not what would capture your heart and imagination. You would be preoccupied instead with the majesty and grace of the One whose glory fills the place. Is no one truly awestruck by the glory of heaven anymore? (51-2)

For anyone who truly believes the biblical record, it is impossible to resist the conclusion that these modern testimonies--with their relentless self-focus and the relatively scant attention they pay to the glory of God--are simply untrue. (52)

If you live your life without cultivating a love for heavenly things, you will never be fit for heaven. (67)

We must seek to understand the biblical concept of heaven. We are commanded to contemplate heaven, to pursue it the way Abraham sought the city of God, to fix our affections there. This means earnestly purging worldliness from our hearts. It means learning to wean ourselves from the preoccupations of this life. It means looking ahead to eternity and living in the expectation of a sure and certain hope. It means looking away from the mundane and temporal, and fixing our eyes steadfastly on him who is the glory and the centerpiece of heaven. Those who live with this heavenly perspective discover abundant life as God intended it here on earth. (80)

A skeptic once told me, "I'd rather be in hell with my friends than in heaven with all the church people." Such a flippant attitude betrays a tragic lack of regard for the horrors of hell. More than that, it grossly underestimates the blessedness of heaven. (84)

What will the perfected soul be like? The most obvious truth is that it will finally be perfectly free from evil forever. We will never again have a selfish desire or utter useless words. We will never perform another unkind deed or think a sinful thought. We will be perfectly liberated from our captivity to sin and finally able to think and act in a way that is perfectly righteous, holy, and honorable in God's sight. (137)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible