Gleanings of Wheat

Belief is not merely an agreement with facts in the head; it is also an appetite for God in the heart, which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction. (pg 86) Pride does not like the sovereignty of God. Therefore pride does not like the existence of God, because God is sovereign. It might express this by saying, "There is no God." Or it might express it by saying, "I am driving to Atlanta for Christmas." James says, "Don't be so sure." Instead say, "if the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall get to Atlanta for Christmas." James point is that God rules over whether we get to Atlanta, and whether you live to the end of this page . (pg 92-93) [The] happiest moments are those when we forget our precious selves and have neither [self-regard and self-approval] but have everything else (God, our fellow humans, animals, the garden and the sky) instead... (pg 93, quoting C.S. Lewis) Boasting is the response of pride to success. Self-pity is the resp...

I purchased Future Grace by John Piper sometime ago and haven't been very good about actually reading it. It isn't that I haven't want to, well that's not entirely true b/c I'm sure if I wanted to read it badly enough I'd actually have done it, but I've lacked the discipline to do so. Anyhow, I'm reading it now - a chapter a day along with my regular Bible reading (I'm in Mark right now, today's reading was the crucifixion - I'm reading about God's grace toward me while recounting His greatest act of mercy, if my heart doesn't burst with wonder I'm going to think something is wrong!) and thought I'd post a few quotes of what stood out to me yesterday and caused me to stop and think a bit more deeply about God's grace. You can't deserve to be created. You can't deserve, as a non-being, to be put into a lavish garden where all your needs are met by a loving Father. So even before they sinned, Adam and Eve lived ...

I follow John Piper on Twitter (@JohnPiper) and he posted a link to the Desiring God page for his wife's book. It is on sale for just under $9 right now, but you can download it for free as well! You'll never guess what route I went.