"Yeah ok, I do evyting"

Spice Girl Auditions: Swan Spice

Is the Gospel for believers?

The Gospel is the reason why we don't turn our tables against God after being gratuitously saved by faith and grace. Turning our tables against Him means reversing the terms on how sanctification happens - by determining our walk with Him and our transformation on our own terms, by our own effort. We fall time and again, but guilt has no hold over us; obedience to God is inseparable from love - it's not sterile duty because it's a response to the Gospel -the power of God that proves Him to be loving, just, wise and ever so majestic- because the Gospel applies to Christians every single day.


On sanctification, Jerry Bridges writes,

When our sense of guilt is taken away because our consciences are cleansed by the blood of Christ, we are freed up to love Him with all our ears and souls and minds. In fact, not only are we freed up, we are motivated in a positive sense to love Hm in this wholehearted way. Our love will be spontaneous in an outpouring of gratitude to Him and fervent desire to obey Him.

Jesus said, "He who has been forgiven little loves little" (Luke 7:47). In the context of that statement He essentially said the converse is also true: Those who have been forgiven much love much. Therefore, we can say that the extent to which we realize the total forgiveness and cleansing from those sins, will determine the measure of our love to God.

So if we want to grow in our love for God and in the acceptable obedience that flows out of that love, we must keep coming back to the Cross and the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. That is why it is so important that we keep the gospel before us every day. Because we sin every day, and our consciences condemn us every day (though Christ has removed sin's guilt and reign in our lives), we need the gospel every day.

The Discipline of Grace - God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness (1994), parenthesis mine

(some) verses that make me cry

"And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Deut 8:3

“O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
II Samuel 18:33

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements — surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
Job 38:4-7 (through 41 actually)

"How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?"
Hos 11:8

"God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"
Luke 18:13

"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"
Matt 27:46

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."
I Cor 1:27-29

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Heb 12:11

He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Rev 21:4

How Are You?

"Hello, I'm Dalit. How are you?"