Mere Christianity Quotes (p.8)

Our Sunday School class has been reading and studying the book Mere Christianity by author C. S. Lewis. Here is one of my favorite passages from the book:

"If we do not believe in decent behavior, why should we be so anxious to make excuses for not having behaved decently? The truth is, we believe in decency so much--we feel the Rule of Law pressing on us so--that we cannot bear to face the fact that we are breaking it, and consequently we try to shift the responsibility. For you notice that it is only for our bad behavior that we find all these explanations. It is only our bad temper that we put down to being tired or worried or hungry; we put our good temper down to ourselves.


These, then, are the two points I wanted to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in."

Quick Praise (Neh. 9:3)

And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God. (Nehemiah 9:3)(NKJV)

Lord, please help us to sincerely seek You in worship this Sunday without watching the clock.

In Your Heart By Faith

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." (Ephesians 3:17)

Here's another inspiring devotional by Charles Spurgeon. This one is about how we may allow Christ to dwell in our hearts by faith.

Beyond measure it is desirable that we, as believers, should have the person of Jesus constantly before us, to inflame our love towards him, and to increase our knowledge of him. I would to God that my readers were all entered as diligent scholars in Jesus' college, students of Corpus Christi, or the body of Christ, resolved to attain unto a good degree in the learning of the cross. But to have Jesus ever near, the heart must be full of him, welling up with his love, even to overrunning; hence the apostle prays "that Christ may dwell in your hearts." See how near he would have Jesus to be! You cannot get a subject closer to you than to have it in the heart itself. "That he may dwell"; not that he may call upon you sometimes, as a casual visitor enters into a house and tarries for a night, but that he may dwell; that Jesus may become the Lord and Tenant of your inmost being, never more to go out.

Observe the words--that he may dwell in your heart, that best room of the house of manhood; not in your thoughts alone, but in your affections; not merely in the mind's meditations, but in the heart's emotions. We should pant after love to Christ of a most abiding character, not a love that flames up and then dies out into the darkness of a few embers, but a constant flame, fed by sacred fuel, like the fire upon the altar which never went out.

This cannot be accomplished except by faith. Faith must be strong, or love will not be fervent; the root of the flower must be healthy, or we cannot expect the bloom to be sweet. Faith is the lily's root, and love is the lily's bloom. Now, reader, Jesus cannot be in your heart's love except you have a firm hold of him by your heart's faith; and, therefore, pray that you may always trust Christ in order that you may always love him. If love be cold, be sure that faith is drooping.

Quick Praise (Lk. 18:43)

And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him (Jesus), glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. (Luke 18:43)(NKJV)

Praise God for opening your blinded eyes!

The Mercy of God

[Because of] the LORD's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-24)(HCSB)

This is my morning devotional from Charles Spurgeon. It speaks eloquently of God's mercy. It awes me to think of how vast God's mercy is, to realize that His mercies are new every morning! Surely He is an awesome and faithful Lord.

"The mercy of God." (Psalm 52:8)

Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it.

It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his mercy is like himself--it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God.

It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner's part to the kind consideration of the Most High; had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.

It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot for your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart.

It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, "All the flowers in God's garden are double." There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies.

It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever.

It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding; with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.

Quick Praise (Ps. 104:33)

I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. (Psalm 104:33)(HCSB)

There's no retirement plan from worshiping the Lord.

Quick Praise (Ps. 108:1)

My heart is confident, God; I will sing; I will sing praises with the whole of my being. (Psalm 108:1)(HCSB)

Let's sing praises to God confidently, with all that we are.

Job

The Lord gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD! (Job 1:21)(NLT)

The following worship profile is from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House. This is a fantastic study Bible if you are interested in praise and worship and learning more about biblical worship and how we can learn from it. I highly recommend it.

How do we come to grips with what C. S. Lewis has called "the problem of pain"? Pain and suffering have troubled us since the fall of humanity in Eden. No doubt since those first days, we have repeatedly asked, "Why must people endure suffering?" Does God mete out suffering to punish us for our misdeeds? If so, why does God let bad things happen to good people? Perhaps the oldest study of these timeless questions is the book of Job. Although he was a blameless man who loved God and shunned evil, Job was suddenly afflicted with terrible pain and suffering. Because he did not know the reason for his suffering, Job struggled through many dark days, arguing with his friends about God's character and the cause of his pain. Ultimately Job's ponderings led him to consider one fundamental question: Do we worship God because he is good to us, or do we worship God because He is God?

Job the Worshiper

Job was described as righteous, a man of "complete integrity" (Job 1:1). Along with his character, Job's habits were also righteous. He worshiped God daily, serving as priest for his large family (Job 1:5).

Through his faithful worship, Job came to understand the character of God, and this knowledge helped support him during his terrible trials. But Job's perspective was still limited, and he wrongly questioned God's wisdom and justice, putting God on an equal plane with himself. Eventually Job realized his mistake, and he repented.

Learning from Job

Like Job, we must be honest before God in prayer as we work through our trials. We need not hide or put on a good face during difficult times.

As we reflect on God and his promises, we gain a greater, eternal perspective on things we are experiencing right now (Job 19:25). Although we still suffer, we have the assurance that someday we will be with God.

Though our worship may involve ritual, the essence of worship is found in knowing and glorifying God. Job expressed this truth as he exclaimed, "I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes" (Job 42:5)(NLT)

Following the Example

Job's story can challenge our superficial notions about worship and the God we serve. Worship teaches us about God's character, and we can cling to these truths in times of crisis and doubt. But worship also shows us that we have a finite understanding of God and his ways. God is not obligated to grant our requests simply because we worship him wholeheartedly. Instead, we must come to realize, as Job did, that God's majesty, power, and wisdom are "too wonderful for [us]" (Job 42:3)(NLT)

Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper