Scripture
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
~2 Peter 1:4, LSB
Quote
The divine nature: they who are endowed with it may be said to have, “God dwelling in their souls, Christ being formed in them.”
~Henry Scougal
There are those who deny the struggle of the two natures, but I am not one of them and thankfully, Henry Scougal was not either. Scougal refers to the fleshly nature as an animal instinct, put there by the Creator but damaged severely in the fall. The inclinations of the lower nature come into conflict with God’s higher purpose. Our natural affections are not to be destroyed; nay, to do so would destroy us. We don’t need to lose our appetite for food but neither do we need that appetite to rule us. These lower appetites must be overruled by the higher divine nature; otherwise, the beast in us becomes boss and we live at its undisciplined mercy.
The root of the DIVINE NATURE is faith. The limbs on the tree are found in the beatitudes and they begin with humility. Christ can never be formed in us apart from humility. It is the first and, quite possible the Most difficult of all Christian disciplines. It is so elusive. At our last meeting, I asked the pastors to share a praise or thanksgiving concerning GOD’S WONDROUS ACTIVITY {Psalm 75:1} in their lives. I was not prepared for what happened. One by one they went around the room, many sharing a heartbreak or a major disappointment. The last man broke down and wept. He was so broken that he could not speak. I was sitting there thinking, “LORD, this was not my intention.” I wanted happy, feel-good stories. I had one myself but never shared it because it seemed out of place. What on earth was happening? I will tell you in one word: SANCTIFICATION. God is humbling preachers and he uses sickness, sorrow, disappointment, divorce, deacons and a multitude of other things to do it. What every preacher around that table needed was what the world needs: GRACE. Not one preacher bragged about their numbers or exploits: how refreshing. Each had a testimony that led them to a deeper humility. God is working folks! God is working. You will not find this kind of brokenness among the woke!
This woke crowd is not going to give us world peace. They are not going to stop oppression. They are not going to stomp out poverty. They are certainly not going to bring us all together; are they? Do you think they are bringing us together? No, they are not but you know who is? His name starts with a J and it ain’t jack. Preach Jesus not wokeness. Like the devil, the woke crowd is promising something that cannot give. The answer is Jesus, not Freud or Marx and certainly not a combination of Jesus, Freud and Marx. {I put this line in for Keller, Platt and Moore} I am sure they read the blog, not! We don’t need Freud and Marx: all we need is JESUS! Don’t bring that woke garbage to Grace Point, we will put it in the dumpster where it belongs. You can sell that garbage in colleges and in DC but it will not sell in Morgan County. We are not buying your intellectual bull.
Extra
Friday is my normal rant day, but this was on my heart. Pray for Doug and I. We have a COLS at noon today. We will be celebrating the life of Debbie Gilliland. Debbie was a sweet lady who had a wonderful testimony. Pray for her husband Jimmy.
Senior Adult Luncheon tomorrow at THE POINT: 11:30. Be glad to have you join us. We having roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, home made rolls, and lot of sides.
Candy Drop for children Sunday evening at THE POINT, followed by a fish fry at 5:30. LORD willing, it will be a busy weekend.