by David Rinehart | Nov 27, 2020 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 Recently, God has impressed upon me the issue of presumption. I define presumption as those expectations (however illegitimate) I have placed upon God; how He should act, how He should treat me, how He should treat others, how He should treat those who persecute/harm me, how He meets my needs, etc. Over time, it has become clear to me that presumption is a soul crushing, silent, cancer of character which must be continually identified and purposefully removed to avoid harm to me and others around me. Apart from the filter of the Bible, one may not even realize how much presumption they have in their life. In many ways it is like the sin of covetousness; you don’t even recognize it as sin until the Bible defines it for you. Then you need to ask God to show you this sin in your life and repent. Admittedly a painful process, but powerfully healing. In developing my view of presumption, I found Romans, Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians to be mirrors to the souls of all men and a powerful reminder of the impact of presumption on a man’s life. Specifically, presumption can send a man to hell, leave a man with...
by Nigel Pink | Nov 13, 2020 | Articles, Mentors Corner
As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. (2 Corinthians 7:9) Paul is telling the church of Corinth and everyone subsequently, a very important truth; that the Christian faith is not a feel-good religion. Indeed, sorrow is central to Jesus’ teaching: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) Mourning precedes assuagement, the fullness of which is deferred to the eternal state. The word in Greek that is translated ‘mourn’ is πενθέω penteo ‘to lament’, or ‘grieve as for the dead’ and is apposite because all must die to self to gain Christ; that is the ‘godly grief’ of which Paul speaks. Elsewhere in Scripture, remorse and contrition are recognized as essential emotions in approaching God, David realizes that no sacrifice can be holy or honorable unless it proceeds from heartfelt remorse. …a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:17) Jesus contrasted the stance in prayer of the haughty Pharisee and humble Tax Collector who: …standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ (Luke 18:13) Only the Tax Collector will be made righteous before God, and that because of sorrowful humility. It is essential that all who would hope for forgiveness realize they stand as the Tax Collector, an object of wrath. Tears cannot soften the heart of God; seven times Jesus informs his disciples that the unrighteous will bewail their fate (eg. Matthew 8:12). Mercy...
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