my burg

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20 ESV)  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 6:10-11 ESV) "Thus, if you do not see your complete mortification in him, sin will reign in you. No sin can be crucified, either in heart or life, unless it be first pardoned in conscience, because there will be lack of faith to receive the strength of Jesus, by whom alone it can be crucified.  If it be not put to death in its guilt, it cannot be subdued in its power.  If the believer does not see his perfect deadness to sin in Jesus, he will open a wide door to unbelief.   And if he be not persuaded of his completeness in Christ, he giv...

So, I made a list of the twelve best books I read this past year.  I don't know why I do this, but it seems appropriate to share this, rather than, say, my favorite dog videos or Instagram photos of what I'm eating tonight.  So, in no particular order I'll dive in:  Setting Our Affections upon Glory: Nine Sermons on the Gospel and the Church , by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Crossway, 2013).  At least once each year I  find myself reading a book of sermons preached by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981).  Simply put, he's just in a category by himself and his  sermons always feed my soul, as well as stimulate thought and affections.  Snippets: "There is only one thing [ the Christian can ] do with time, and  that is to take it and put it into the grand context of eternity."  And, "The great need of the church today, in our sadness and in our slowness, is to  discover the secret of the burning heart." The Christian View of Man , by J. Gres...

"And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." (John 1:16 ESV) "...who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places..." (Ephesians 1:3 ESV) "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. "  (Colossians 2:9-10 ESV) Your whole conduct through life depends upon the nature of the salvation of which you are a partaker by grace. Is it not a complete salvation—an absolutely perfect work—yes, the greatest work of God, because all the rest comes from it, and leads to it?  Is it not the infinitely wise plan of the eternal Trinity, for which everlasting glory is to be given to every divine attribute? Attend, O my soul, to the Scripture account of this salvation. Review the glory of it. Read again and again the revealed descriptions of it, till your heart be satisfied that this salvation is as perfect and complete as the Lord ...