Weekly Roundup: 2019.06.21
Listening to the voice of God, the fallacy of believing that men and women are interchangeable, the moral evil and utter worthlessness of gambling, the sheep metaphor in the Bible, and a quote about God’s sovereignty from Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp.
Resources
Listening to the Voice of God | Sinclair Ferguson | Ligonier Ministries
A great three minute clip about reading the Bible.
The Fallacy of Interchangeability | Colin Smothers | CBMW
This is a good article about something very obvious: men and women are different. Yet, in our culture, we must preach this truth constantly! This is from the newly founded journal Eikon, published by The Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW).
Spot the Difference worksheets are a staple in many elementary classrooms. Anyone who attended public school or spent any time in children’s Sunday School is probably familiar with the concept: given two very similar but slightly differing pictures, can you find and circle all the differences? At first glance the pictures appear identical, but a closer study reveals several dissimilarities. Elementary students are assigned these exercises because they encourage and hone the development of the innate and basic ability to compare and contrast. Have we forgotten, or are we actively trying to forget how to spot the differences between men and women?
Gambling as Moral Parable: Why Luck Is All the Secular Worldview Has to Offer | Albert Mohler | The Briefing
This was part III of The Briefing from June 13, 2019. I hate gambling from every angle: biblical, economical, moral, rational, socioeconomic, philosophical. There is absolutely nothing good that comes from it. Mohler gives words to my great desire to see gambling perish.
Animal Metaphors for the Christian Life | Robert VanDoodewaard | Tabletalk Magazine
This was a cool article about sheep, how the Bible uses sheep, and how it help us understand ourselves.
If we had more experience with sheep, as many Israelites did, I think we would have a much richer and more realistic understanding of the comparisons. … sheep really do wander, they get into all kinds of trouble, they get very dirty, and they can even be aggressive. Beautiful little lambs were trampled to death by other sheep. … The reality is that the biblical use of sheep as a metaphor is not as sentimental as we might want to think it is. Many of the metaphors and comparisons assume the weaknesses of sheep, their propensity toward self-destruction, and the difficulty of shepherding.
For more articles saved over the years, see my Evernote collection.
Quote
At any moment in time, the right answer to the question, “What is God doing?” is, “Accomplishing his plan.”
This theme is meant to be a great practical comfort to us. Look around—don’t things often seem to be out of control? Doesn’t it often look like the bad guys are winning? Haven’t you cried, “Why me?” or wept at the suffering of another? Don’t you sometimes feel lost in the crowd, the custodian of a small and relatively meaningless life? Don’t you daily face your powerlessness to even change yourself?
In response to humanity’s deepest, heartfelt questions, God sweetly speaks of his sovereignty. “Take heart, I am in complete control. I am the definition of holiness and love. All of my ways are right and true, all of my decisions are best, and I will not rest until my plan has been completed.”
There is great comfort in your moment of greatest mystery. There is encouragement in your time of greatest confusion, and hope in your moment of greatest discouragement. Your world is not a world of constant chaos controlled by impersonal forces. Your destiny is not in your hands or in the hands of other people. You are held in the hands of your heavenly Father, who rules everything! You are a child of the King of Kings and you live under the shadow of his wing. You are part of his plan. That means that the exercise of his power and authority is for your blessing.
— Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp. Chapter 2: “In the Hands of the Redeemer”. pp. 29–30.