Hi all! I’m moved by blog again. Some change themes a lot, I change web addresses a lot. This one will hopefully be more, well, that’s what yesterday’s post was about (over there). Here’s the new address:

http://joshuacottrell.wordpress.com

⁴Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints,
and give thanks to His holy name.
⁵ For His anger is but for a moment,
and His favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:4-5)

I don’t think it occurs to us enough to suffer well. We’re told to do so. Here David praises the Lord because the anger of the Lord only lasts for a moment. Our lives are defined by His favor toward us. But we should also be over-joyed that God disciplines us, gets angry, because His purpose is our maturity and His set goal is our perfection (Hebrews 12:7-11; James 1:2-3) to His glory, His purpose (Romans 8:28)!

This struck me while reading John Owen’s Mortification of Sin (131, Crossway 2006). Luke 15:11-13a (emphasis mine)

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country

We find ourselves in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. Notice how the son abandons the father and goes to a far country.

Luke 15:17-20a

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘ And he arose and came to his father.

Now notice the son, just by remembering the father and the father’s generosity. The son also understands the deep grace of his father, being willing to return such a great distance. And on the way back from this far country he has no money, no food yet he is sustained by the thought of the father. And he thought only of being a servant, not a son again!

How much more should we be sustained by thoughts of our Heavenly Father as we seek to follow our Lord Jesus through this life to live with Him forever as His adopted son, sharing in the great inheritance of our brother Jesus. It is worth so much more than this ragged, hungering, dirty, sin-stained walk through this far country.

Incredible verse I read today, 1 Chronicles 5:20

And when they [the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab] prevailed over them [Israel], the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and He granted their urgent plea because they trusted in Him.

The best part of this, of course, is God delivering His people. And when does He do it? Right in the middle of the battle! And why did God give them into the Israelites hands? Because they trusted in God.

As we look at the cross (as I should be doing more with this site) we find that God had given the church victory over sin and death and every spiritual enemy because of Jesus Christ and His work in life and death. And today we trust in Him to deliver us day-by-day as we cry out to Him and entrust ourselves to Him.

I read an article today, “Family planning may suffer as economy declines“. The title sounds promising. The details are a bit disturbing.

I did find some encouragement in two small phrases made about women commenting on their recent abortions, “who asked that her name be withheld” and “who asked that her name not be published because some family members do not know she ended a pregnancy”. There may still be an understanding that abortion is evil.

Some context of one almost extinguishes that hope though, “‘It [stinks][1] that it comes down to money,’ said the woman, who asked that her name be withheld. ‘But if we can’t even support ourselves, it wouldn’t be good for a baby.’” Do you think she noticed that she just said it would be better for the baby to die than the baby, parents, or siblings to be hungry?

I praise God for using all sorts of means to reduce the abortion rate. And I praise him that there is that still small glimmer of God’s image in our children that refuses to be extinguished. But where will we be in 5 years if we continue to see things as “it’s better for others to die, that I may not suffer want”? And how are Christians any different? Adoption anyone? How about supporting some of the right to life clinics, like Central Illinois Right To Life Inc. which is mentioned in the article? What about teaching our children that marriage is sacred so we see a reduction in unmarried sex?

[1] – the [stinks] was in the original, aparently not wanting to offend anyone with “bad” language.