Puritans

Four Ways Teenagers Live for More

I'm on desiringGod today with a new article for teens. Perhaps you'd like to check it out!

As teenagers, life feels so big, doesn’t it? Like a canvas that stretches into outer space, it bubbles over with potential. We have so much to do and so many places to see. I’m 18, and I often wonder how God will use me in his vast story.

As Jesus-followers, the last thing we want to do is waste this life. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always resonated so deeply with the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), a man committed to pursuing holiness for his whole life, a conviction that began as a teenager.

Of the seventy resolutions that Edwards wrote between the ages of 19 and 20, my favorite is number six: “Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.” Short. Simple. Profoundly urgent. This was his teenage version of carpe diem for the glory of God, a call to his young soul to seize life with purpose and passion. I love that.

But some days I wonder how to do that. What exactly does it look like to live with all my might as a teenager for the glory of God? As I’ve studied Scripture and learned from Jonathan Edwards, I’ve found four answers that have been especially helpful.




Lord, Help Me Distrust Myself Today


The Valley of Vision is the most insightful and easily the most impactful book I have ever read. If you haven't read it, you need to, today if possible.

 This morning I was re-reading one of my favorite prayers in it, "Love to Jesus." The end of the prayer is striking:

"[God,] let me see that the truest revelation of thyself is when thou dost eclipse all my personal glory and all the honour, pleasure and good of this world. The Son breaks out in glory when he shows himself as one who outshines all creation, makes men poor in spirit, and helps them to find their good in him. Grant that I may distrust myself, to see my all in thee" (47).

That is my prayer today, that God would be everything to me and myself nothing, that I would be acutely aware of His infinite better-ness than all.

 Lord, help me distrust myself to trust in You.

A Prayer of Hope to Ring in the New Year

From The Valley of Vision, "New Year":

"O Lord,
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year:
With Thee, O Father as my harbour,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven:
With my loins girt,
My lamp burning,
My ear open to Thy calls,
My heart full of love,
My soul free.

Give me:
Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.

May:
Thy fear be my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed:
In Thy presence,
In Thy service,
To Thy glory.

Give me a grace that:
Precedes,
Follows,
Guides,
Sustains,
Sanctifies,
Aids every hour.

That I may not be one moment apart from Thee, but may rely on Thy Spirit:
To supply every thought,
Speak in every word,
Direct every step,
Prosper every work,
Build up every mote of faith.

And give me a desire:
To show forth Thy praise;
Testify Thy love,
And advance Thy kingdom.

Amen."

A Pilgrim Answers Some Questions

I am reading a new edition of The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan right now. It's edited by C.J. Lovik and beautifully illustrated by Mike Wimmer. You are probably familiar with the basics of the story - a pilgrim named Christian leaves his home, the City of Destruction, because he is afraid of the coming wrath and sets off for the Celestial City.

He bears a great burden on his back until he passes through the narrow gate and is able to lay his burden at the cross. There he is given new clothes and a scroll to read on the journey. But many dangers and joys still await him.

At one point in his journey he comes to the House Beautiful, guarded by chained lions and cared for by three women named Prudence, Piety, and Charity. As Christian is resting with them, Prudence asks Christian some pointed questions.

May his answers be true of every pilgrim in this life who calls himself Christian.

     Then Prudence began to ask Christian some questions.
     "Do you ever think of the country you came from?"
     "Yes," Christian replied, "but with much shame and detestation. 'Honestly, if I had pleasant thoughts about the country from which I have come, I might have taken the opportunity to return; but I desire a better country, one that is heavenly.'"
     Prudence asked further, "Do you still not carry some of the baggage from the place you escaped?"
     "Yes, but against my will. I still have within me some of the carnal thoughts that all my countrymen, as well as myself, were delighted with. Now all those things cause me to grieve. If I could master my own heart, I would choose never to think of those things again, but when I try only to think about those things that are best, those things that are the worst creep back into my mind and behavior."
     "Don't you find that sometimes you can defeat those evil things that at other times seem to defeat you?" Prudence suggested.
     Christian answered, "Yes, it happens occasionally. They are golden hours that I treasure."
     "Can you remember the means by which you're able occasionally to defeat the evil desires and thoughts that assail you?"
     Christian said, "Yes. When I think about what I experienced at the cross, that will do it. When I look at the embroidered coat, that will do it. When I read the scroll that I carry in my coat, that will do it. And when my thoughts turn to the place to which I am going, that will do it."
     Prudence inquired, "And what is it that makes you desirous to go to Mount Zion?"
     Christian replied, "Why, it is there that I hope to see alive my Savior who hung dead on the cross. It is there that I hope to be rid of all those things that to this day are an annoyance to me. They say that in that place there is no death, and I will dwell there with the company that I like best. For, to tell you the truth, I love Him because He eased me of my burden. I am weary of my inward sickness. I desire to be where I will die no more, with a company that will continually cry, 'Holy, holy, holy!'"

-- The Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan, ed. C.J. Lovik, p. 76-77

Monday's Divine Armament

In his sermon yesterday, my dad shared this powerful and encouraging quote from R. Kent Hughes. It is good news for a Monday morning.

There is safety for all believers in the joy of the Lord. Matthew Henry, the Puritan expositor, wrote, “The joy of the Lord will arm us against the assaults of our spiritual enemies and put our mouths out of taste for those pleasures with which the tempter baits his hooks.” The joy of the Lord is a divine armament. Those living in his joy are resistant to attacks that take others down. Resiliency marks their steps. The taste of joy renders the tempter’s offerings bland by comparison. So we see why the apostle is happy to continually urge his followers to rejoice in the Lord — because rejoicing will serve as a safeguard through all of life. 

Quoted from Philippians: The Fellowship of the Gospel (Crossway Books: Wheaton, 2007.)

We Are Little Suns


We are home safe and sound now from vacation and for some pesky reason, this excellent quote didn't publish on September 1, the day it was set to. Here it is now. Read and be edified.

Grace in the soul is as much from Christ, as the light in a glass, held out in the sunbeams, is from the sun. [...] But the soul of a saint receives light from the Sun of Righteousness, in such a manner that its nature is changed, and it becomes properly a luminous thing; not only does the sun shine in the saints, but they also become little suns, partaking of the nature of the Fountain of their light.

-- Jonathan Edwards, in The Religious Affections

The Christian Duty of Self-Denial

Self-denial is a concept that has been overwhelmingly misunderstood in the Christian culture today. People personify self-denial as monks in ragged cloaks hid away, starving themselves in caves. Or that guy, Simon Somebody, who sat by himself on a rock for thirty years.

That is not the Christian practice of self-denial.

Self-denial for the Christian is rightly defined by Jonathan Edwards in his book, The Religious Affections, as a duty with two parts:

This is the principal part of the great Christian duty of self-denial. That duty consists in two things, viz., first, in a man's denying his worldly inclinations, and in forsaking and renouncing all worldly objects and enjoyments; and secondly, in denying his natural self-exaltation, and renouncing his own dignity and glory, and in being emptied of himself; so that he does freely and from his very heart, as it were, renounce himself and annihilate himself.

Self-denial means denying the world and it means denying pride, two things that are no easy tasks. It almost feels like it would be easier to don a monk robe, shave my head, and live in solitude. Unfortunately this does not address self-denial's two core issues and thus is not the correct and godly form of self-denial.

Denying the pleasures of the world and annihilating our own pride are two tasks much deeper and more complex than the aesthetic denial we associate with self-denial. Let me explain.

First, denying the pleasures of the world means we set out to stop our ears to temptation and train our eyes on Christ. As the apostle John wrote in his epistle,

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Anyone can skip meals or live in solitude but it takes a Christian to, by the power of God, hear the world's clamor and ignore it. Daily we're tempted. Often it's as easy as the click of "Send" or "Retweet." We're tempted to look at things, go places, listen to songs, watch programs, say words, and think thoughts that are cultural norms but ungodly practices. Self-denial means denying ourselves the fleeting pleasures of a fading world and doing the will of God.

Second, annihilating our pride means mortifying the greatest sin that attempts to destroy our relationship with God. I'm reminded of Jon Bloom who said that pride is the pathological core of all our sin, because it is the most vicious affront against God's character. Pride is is our attempt to say that we know better than God. It is a part of our sinful natures and that's why we must battle against it. Self-denial means denying the nature of our flesh and killing the pride that lives inside of us.

As Jesus said in Matthew 16:24,

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Thus as Christians, we have a duty to practice self-denial. This is not merely aesthetic, though it may eventually manifest itself as that. It is a heart issue. Are you denying the pleasures of the world and the pride that lives inside of you? Are you taking up your cross daily and following Christ? Because that is what it means to be a Christian.

Live While We're Young: Why One Direction and Jonathan Edwards Disagree

Clearly One Direction and Jonathan Edwards have very different ideas of what it means to "live while we're young." One Direction sang a song about it back in 2012, laying out in pretty gritty detail their own definition. To truly live, they sang, involves lots of partying, lots of all-nighters, lots of girls, lots of independence, few responsibilities, and lots and lots of fun.

Hey girl, I'm waitin' on ya, I'm waitin' on ya
Come on and let me sneak you out
And have a celebration, a celebration
The music up, the windows down 
Let's go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun
I know we only met but let's pretend it's love
And never, never, never stop for anyone
Tonight let's get some
And live while we're young

These band members sang these lyrics as they partied and toured Europe while they were the same age as Jonathan Edwards was when he was penning out 70 Resolutions in a quiet New England town. Edwards too desired to live while he was young. One of his resolutions was this:

I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.

Edwards knew that youth is an exciting and important time to do things and go places that you can't when you get older. He knew that youth have many opportunities to really live. But he and 1D have two starkly different definitions of what "to live" means. Edwards' first resolution explained his meaning - and it included neither partying, nor lots of girls.

Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

Edwards said that living while we're young means pursuing God's glory and others' good. This was a man who thought deeply and, realizing the futility of earthly pleasures, sought after eternal things. He refused to throw away his youth in useless pursuits. Comparing he and One Direction, there is no question in my mind who really lived while they were young.

One Direction was proud to sing:

Hey girl, it's now or never, it's now or never
Don't over-think, just let it go
And if we get together, yeah, get together
Yeah, we'll be doing what we do
Just pretending that we're cool

One day, they will look back and see what they spent their youth on. Meanwhile, Jonathan Edwards passionately pursued Christ and the glory of God throughout his youth. In eternity, he will be bountifully rewarded for that.

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Tim. 4:12)

It's Just Not My Day


Have you ever looked yourself squarely in the mirror and realized suddenly that it's just not your day? Wait - maybe you misunderstand me. I don't mean that you realize you're having a bad day. I mean that you realize it is literally not your day.

That the day you hold in your grasp doesn't belong to you.

That your time is not your own.

That every minute you breathe, every morning you wake up, every day you live is God's.

That you are only a steward of the time God has given you, and that you are entrusted to care for it well.

Jonathan Edwards, a brilliant theologian from the eighteenth century, understood this well. Steven J. Lawson wrote this about him:
"In Edwards' view, time was infinitely valuable and utterly irreplaceable when lost. He understood God had sovereignly allotted him a specific measure of time, a precise number of years, days, hours and even seconds in which he would live. His days, literally, were numbered. He was merely a steward of his time and would be accountable to God for its use." (From The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards by Steven J. Lawson. Copyright © 2008 by Reformation Trust. All rights reserved.) 
Do we realize this? I know I often don't. I think of each day as my own - a day to pursue what I want, a day to accomplish things for me, a day that is mine. But this day is not my own. It is my Father's. Just like our money is not our own and we are to be only temporary, and proper, care-takers of it, we must make good use of the time God has given us.

So let this spur you on to live this day like it's not your own. I know I will. Because it's just not my day.

Built in Christ Forever

Here is a prayer from the Puritans, a group of wise, godly Christians from the 17th century:
“Thou hast struck a heavy blow at my pride, at the false god of self, and I lie in pieces before thee. But thou hast given me another master and lord, thy Son, Jesus, and now my heart is turned towards holiness, my life speeds as an arrow from a bow towards complete obedience to thee. Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride. Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life, from everything that is natural to fallen man, and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day. Grant me grace to bear thy will without repining, and delight to be not only chiselled, squared, or fashioned, but separated from the old rock where I have been embedded so long, and lifted from the quarry to the upper air, where I may be built in Christ for ever.” 

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