Jerry Bridges

God in His love always wills what is best for us.

In His wisdom He always knows what is best,

and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.

 

(A unsourced quote in chapter one of Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.)

 

I have just spent the last month immersed in these three books by Jerry Bridges. 

 

The titles point clearly to the content (as all good titles should.)

Respectable Sins - about the sins that we may not even be aware of, because they blend in with what is well tolerated in society...pride, discontentment, grumbling, selfishness (it's all about me) and anxiety to name a few. 

The Pursuit of Holiness - one of those books often to be found on many Christian bucket lists of must read books, and rightly so.  A great companion to Respectable Sins as it maps a pathway for pursuing holiness and godliness, that veers away from sins both gross and respectable.

Trusting God - how to maintain that holiness, godliness and belief that God is sovereign and that Christ's death on the cross is enough when things are not going smoothly. 

 

Jerry Bridges writes clearly and pastorally.  In reading them I felt nurtured and challenged, taught and counselled, affirmed and encouraged.  Encouraged in the best sense of the word.  Jerry Bridges is a humble man and in all three books he genuinely and sincerely gives God all glory and honour.  If you want to see humility in action through one who holds wholly to the view that God is completely sovereign (that is, in control of all things), loving and wise, pick one of these books and delight in his gentle but strong words.  He's not afraid to say the hard things.  But he is by no means harsh.   

 

Good reading. 

 

I'd like to read some more of his books, including The Joy of Fearing God and The Discipline of Grace, but three is enough for now.  I'll save the others for another time.

Who knew?

I have a bit of thing about grammar and stuff.  You'd never know reading this blog.  All those sentences starting with conjunctions.  It's appalling.  But you'll never find a misplaced apostrophe for all the sentences that start with "And" and "So" and "But."

But I have been learning things this year.  It started with IKEA.  It isn't "Ikea" because it turns out the supplier of my meatballs (I won't hear you say a bad thing about them) sports an acronym.

And today, courtesy of a year five spelling book followed up by a quick tour of Google, it turns out that the Internet is a proper noun.  When you talk about internets in a general sense it can have a lower case "i" but when you talk of the Internet it needs a capital letter.  Who knew?  Obviously the writer of the year five spelling book.  But not me.  Not until today. 

How not to worry

From the mouth of a seven year old very close to my heart after he overheard my husband and I talk about being worried about something.

I know how to stop worrying.
Think about us.  (Which for us means our two boys.  You will need to insert your own favourite small or big people into the formula.)
Then have a drink of water.
And then sing a song.

Spontaneously delivered, wise and wonderful advice.

Why, God?

So we should never ask why in the sense of demanding that God explain or justify His actions or what He permits in our lives...When I say we should never ask why, I am not talking about the reactive and spontaneous cry of anguish when calamity first befalls us or one we love.  Rather, I am speaking of the persistent and demanding why that has an accusatory tone toward God in it.  The former is natural human reaction; the latter is a sinful human reaction.  Three of the psalms begin with why:

"Why, O LORD do you stand far off?" 
"Why have you forsaken me?"
"Why have you rejected us forever?"
(Psalms 10, 22, 74)

But each of these psalms ends on a note of trust in God.  The Psalm writers did not allow their whys to drag on.  They did not allow them to take root and grow into accusations against God.  Their whys were really cries of anguish, a natural reaction to pain.

From chapter eight in Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.

Trusting God

In the arena of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God - truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity.  They are:

God is completely sovereign.

God is infinite in wisdom.

God is perfect in love.

From chapter one in Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.  And then a few pages later in chapter two...

If we are to trust God, we must learn to see that He is continuously at work in every aspect and every moment of our lives.

Going offline

For a week.

This post comes to you courtesy of AUTO-SCHEDULE because as of sun-up this morning our household has commenced a SCREEN-FREE challenge.  Oldest son issued the challenge a week ago.  The start date was revised when he realised that a) he would be visiting his friend during the week suggested who has many options of screen to choose from at his house and b) the said week would also take in five days at home over the Easter weekend. 

So we start today.  For a week.  No screens.

He has made some exceptions for mum and dad.

Dad is allowed access to Word, email and the internet strictly for work related purposes only. 
Mum (that's me) is allowed email for business related purposes - so no chatting to friends, just serious stuff.  And mum is allowed one DVD on ironing night.  (I thought the offer of the DVD was very generous.)

And to honour the intent of the challenge there are no more scheduled posts from me for the week ahead.

So you won't be seeing me around the internet for the next week or so.  If you need me, it will have to be in person, on the phone or via email.  And if email, it has to be business related.  In that instance you really ought to put "CMS" in the subject box, which ordinarily would stand for "Church Missionary Society" - the organisation that accounts for most of my "buiness" emails.  Or, as some have suggested, "Catch Meredith...Shhhhhh!" or "Catch Meredith Sneakily."  Otherwise, I'm out of here.

Status Report: April

Running:  a day late on this.  I was fairly wiped out after Easter and could hardly string two verbal words together yesterday, let alone face a computer screen.

Grateful: to God for all that Easter is and for the time to reflect on His amazing grace and goodness to us. 

Eating: nothing.  But we had lasagna for tea.  Home made.  Lasagna is pretty labour intensive in my view.  But everyone likes it.  Last year (I know, I'm very slow when it comes to these sorts of culinary breakthroughs) I worked out as I was making a lasagna to give away, that I could make two - one to give away and one for us to eat.  That took out some of the intensity from the labour.  And last week I figured if you can make two at once then you can also make four at once.  So we are eating one (tonight and probably tomorrow night too) and there are three in the freezer ready to give away or eat at a later date.  Cooking in bulk for the freezer is not new to me...it is the type of cooking I do best.  But bulk lasagnas - that's new and it's wonderful.

Drinking: nothing.  But I am about to boil the kettle.  Cup of tea, anyone?

Reading: the Bible from this reading plan.  Currently a week behind.  Not too worried about that.  I'll catch it up with some double readings here and there.

Also reading: Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.  This is my third Jerry Bridges book in a month.  I love this man's take on the Christian life.  But this will be the last of his books I read for now.  I'm not taking in quite as much with this one as the other two.  It's probably time to put his books down for a while.  But what a wonderful time it has been.

Figuring: I was a tad hasty in announcing my running career on Facebook a couple of weeks ago.  That comment - that I had taken up the C25K challenge - was met with all sorts of lovely, encouraging and endearing comments.  But my running career ("running" seems a bit over the top...thinking Cliff Young shuffle really minus the long distances) has been curtailed by an erratic schedule, the need for better shoes which will have to wait and the degree of my unfitness pitched against my age and the length of time that has passed since I did regular exercise.  So the current plan is long brisk walks on the treadmill and a bit of rowing on the rowing machine.  Until further notice. 

Wondering: if Google's decision to shut down Google Reader will mark the beginning of the slow death of small blogs.  I don't ever complain when Facebook and Google make changes.  They offer us these amazing free services so we can hardly complain.  And this isn't a complaint.  Just a wonder.

Thinking: about not complaining and gratitude and hope after taking a tour down my own little blog memory lane a couple of weeks ago.  A few cringeworthy moments in that tour as well but I was glad to have these three reminders, especially in light of the Jerry Bridges books I've read this last month about holiness, tolerated sinfulness and trusting in God.

Off: to clean up the kitchen and make that cup of tea.

Thinking about holiness

I haven't really thought about the power of the word "think" in Philippians 4:8 before.

The Bible indicates that our thought lives ultimately determine our character.  Solomon said, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is" (Proverbs 23:7).  And old well-known verse puts it this way:

Sow a thought, reap an act;
Sow an act, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character.

It is because of the importance of our thought lives that Paul said, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" (Philippians 4:8).

As Christians we are no longer to be conformed to the pattern of this world but we are to be renewed in our minds (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:23; 1 Peter 1:14). Holiness begins in our minds and works out to our actions.  This being true, what we allow to enter our minds is critically important.

From chapter twelve of  The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.

Holiness

A farmer plows his field, sows the seed and fertilises and cultivates - all the while knowing that in the final analysis he is utterly dependent on forces outside of himself.  He knows he cannot cause the seek to germinate, nor can he produce the rain and sunshine for growing and harvesting the crop.  For a successful harvest, he is dependent on these things from God.

Yet the farmer knows that unless he diligently pursues his responsibilities to plow, plant, fertilise and cultivate, he cannot expect a harvest at the end of the season.  In a sense he in in a partnership with God, and he will reap its benefits only when he has fulfilled his own responsibilities.

Farming is a joint venture between God and the farmer.  The farmer cannot do what God must do, and God will not do what the farmer should do.

We say just as accurately that the pursuit of holiness is a joint venture between God and the Christian.  No one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his life, but just as surely no one will attain it without effort on his own part.  God has made it possible for us to walk in holiness.  But He has given to us the responsibility of doing the walking; he does not do that for us.

From the preface of The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.

And then in chapter three...

God does not require a perfect, sinless life to have fellowship with Him, but He does require that we be serious about holiness, that we grieve over sin in our lives instead of justifying it, and that we earnestly pursue holiness as a way of life.

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

There is a lot to love about this book.

Firstly, the chapters are very short.  I love books with short chapters.  When I check to see how many pages there are until the end of a chapter and find there are still fifty to go I get overwhelmed.  Short chapters are excellent.  (Maybe that is why I like the Bible so much.)

Secondly, Bridges outlines a whole host of sins that we may not even recognise in ourselves.  Am I tempted to think that I have given every part of my life over to God?  Needing to think again.  Here is the list of the sins Bridges covers - ungodliness, anxiety and frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, self-control (lack there of), impatience and irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of speech and worldliness.  Thinking I don't have a problem with any/some/most of these?  Bridges drills down below the surface and turns up all sorts of every day examples that I hadn't even thought of...and that is why they are "respectable sins" - the sins we tolerate to the point that we cease to recognise them as sinful.

Sounding like a fun book?  Keep reading.

Thirdly, Jerry Bridges has a very strong grasp of God's sovereignty.  A loving sovereign God.   This book provides sound and solid teaching on God's sovereignty alongside the teaching on sin.  Worth reading to be moved once again by God's sovereignty.

Which leads to the fourth - this book is pastoral.  Ligon Duncan, in his commendation for Respectable Sins said, "Jerry Bridges has blessed us with this timely book designed to help us grow in grace and glorify and enjoy God as we ought.  I can't think of any partner with whose help I'd rather tackle my own heart sins than Jerry." And he is right.  I felt like someone was holding my hand and leading me ever so gently through the pages of this book.  I couldn't put it down.  I couldn't wait to read the next chapter.  I felt sad when it came to an end.  A book that was exposing sin after sin.  That is gifted writing.  And that is the wonder of being one of God's children.  Sinful but saved.

I felt encouraged (in the best sense of the word) to take a long, hard look at myself, and confident to do so because the God I long to love and serve with all my heart, soul, mind and strength has loving sovereignty over my life.  He has numbered my days and even the hairs on my head.  He loves me so much that He sent His only Son to die for me to take the punishment for all that sin.  Why wouldn't I want to tackle this sinfulness given the hope found in the cross of Jesus, given to us by a sovereign and loving God.

Loved this book.

Sin

Sin is a spiritual and moral malignancy.  Left unchecked, it can spread through our entire inner being and contaminate every area of our lives.  Even worse, it often will "metastasize" from us into the lives of other believers around us.  None of us lives on a spiritual or social island.  Our attitudes, words and actions, and oftentimes even our private unspoken thoughts, tend to have an effect on those around us.

Paul must have had this concept in mind when he wrote, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29).  Our speech, whether it is about others or to others, tends to tear down or build up.  It either corrupts the minds of our hearers, or it gives grace to them.  Such is the power of our words.  If I gossip, I both tear down another person and corrupt the mind of my listener.  If I complain about the difficult circumstances of my life, I impugn the sovereignty and goodness of God and tempt my listener to do the same.  In this way, my sin "metastasizes" into the heart of another person.

From Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, page 23.

That moment when...

That moment when I finished my first ever set of school reports, drove straight to a friend's house, put on my tape (yes...cassette tape) of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and sank into her sofa to the strains of that perfect first movement of the perfect concerto, a huge job behind me and knowing that writing school reports would never be THAT hard again...relaxation.

That moment when I sipped the cup of tea - Harrod's Elderflower and Champagne Tea, no less - served in a fine bone china cup and saucer...bliss.

That moment when I had breakfast out at a restaurant ON A SCHOOL DAY and then came home and danced around the house to "Forever Young" (The Corrs version) because it was the first day of my long service leave...glee.

That moment when I realised, in the dark back streets of Bologna, that I had walked myself off my map having read it upside down...lost.

That moment when I came out of the electrical goods store with my first vacuum cleaner...grown up.

That moment when the real estate agent said our offer on the house had been accepted and no, there weren't going to be counter-offers and counter-counter-offers and yes, the house (and the mortgage) was ours...disbelief.  And slight queasiness.

That moment when I came up the escalator to the waiting area to catch the plane with 20 school children in my charge behind me and saw the faces of all the other adults also waiting to catch that plane drop as they saw the 20 children who would be joining them on the flight...mirth.

That moment when those twenty children, none of whom had ever caught a plane before, let out a collective squeal as the plane took off...priceless.

That moment when I played the whole of the Mozart Flute Concerto, accompanied by an orchestral backing track, completely from memory...sublime.

That moment when, a day later, I played that concerto and three other substantial pieces for a flute exam and failed...gutted.

That moment when I surveyed the contents of my car boot - the things gathered in the moment of forced decision on being evacuated against the threat of bushfire -  defining.

That moment when I prayed to God and said yes, I wanted to live my life fully under His authority - freedom, and the most important moment.

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This is my post for Prompted to Write on the topic of "That Moment When..."  If you would like to join in and write a post on this topic (and take it where you want to) go here for instructions on how to participate.



Status Report: March

Running: a bit late because of the Prompted to Write post yesterday.  And looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

Eating: a fresh peach.

Drinking: tea.  Decaf tea.  And it is OK.

Reading: Leviticus, Psalms in the 40s, Proverbs 10 and Mark.

Also reading: Communion with God by John Owen.  Well, perhaps reading is a somewhat loose term.  I have the bookmark in at the beginning of the fourth chapter and it's been there for quite a while.  Made a good start and felt myself resting into God's goodness, sovereignty, love, might and power.  But reading time has been somewhat elusive this last week or two. 

Watching: Lost in Austen. It's great viewing - a wonderful companion on ironing nights.  And having read Pride and Prejudice lately, all the more clever than the last time I watched it.

Pondering: over one of the most useful things I read on the internet last year (well, it is the thing that has stuck and it's a shame that I can't remember where I read it) - that when young people aren't towing the line, as it were, they may be needing evangelism rather than discipleship.  Telling a young person that what they are doing isn't honouring to God (or whatever language you want to use) could well be met with eye rolling (or worse) if they haven't apprehended the good news of Jesus for themselves.  They need evangelism, not discipleship.  Great wisdom.

Feeling: oh so very fit.  Well, a bit fitter than I was a month ago, having joined a gym when school went back.  One of those 24/7 ones with no classes, not many staff (or staffed hours), just lots of machines that they house and maintain. There are some machines that I WILL NEVER USE and I said so to the man who was giving me the guided tour.  In the end he got the drift and was saying, "Now this one, well, we won't bother with that one because you probably won't be using it."  And of one in particular he said, "Now, don't ever use this one.  There are others that will achieve the same things and you are better off using them.  This one will be plain dangerous for you."  I was more than happy to hear him say that.  And am happily riding the exercise bike (10km at level five) and rowing the rowing machine (1km at level 10.)  It's a start.  I've probably done more exercise in February than I did last year. 

Convinced: that day time television is TERRIBLE.  I don't watch TV.  At all.  Especially during the day.  (I watch DVDs when I do the ironing and we watch an episode of Bear Grylls each week as a family, but that is all.)  But at the gym I have been channel surfing with the little screen on the bike.  And I have concluded that day time television is dreadful.  It is easy to see how shut ins and stay at homes who turn to the television for company can become depressed.   Going to start listening to music and sermons from now on. 

Chuffed: with my cooking efforts.  Went in with a blaze of glory and introduced six new recipes within ten days.  Especially loving Donna Hay's fish poached in tomato and basil.  And pork san chow boy is excellent but it is important to follow the recipe regarding the amount of ginger.  Everyone has taken to new foods well.  However I peaked too quickly and didn't try anything new during February.  So it is probably time to pull out the books and find some more recipes to try before I get stuck in a new cooking rut.

Thankful: to God for all the things, big and small, that He has given me to fill my days.  And thankful day by day for strength and health to do them.