Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Persisting In Prayer


Is prayer often the first thing to go when life gets busy? Are you one of those people who would say, “You know, my prayer life could be better than it is.”

This is part two of the Family Life interview with Paul Miller. It is a well spent twenty minutes. Listen to it while you eat lunch. You won't be disappointed.

Paul Miller discusses why we don't persist in prayer. He begins with a spiritual diagnosis instead of time management suggestions. The problem with prayerlessness is not self-discipline, which most people think, “If I were more spiritual.” The key to having a praying life is having a permanent sense of a poverty of spirit, “I can’t do life on my own." Then, he begins to encourage us in a way that engenders persistence in prayer.


Listen to Part Two here.
Listen to Part One here.

Monday, May 16, 2011

"Christ Alone" Is A Benefit To You

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. (Galatians 5.2, ESV)

"The person who is not moved by these considerations to leave the Law and the confidence in his own righteousness for the liberty in Christ, has a heart that is harder than stone and iron.

"Paul does not condemn circumcision in itself. Circumcision is not injurious to the person who does not ascribe any particular importance to it. Neither are works injurious provided a person does not attach any saving value to them. The Apostle does not say that works are objectionable, but to build one’s hopes for righteousness on works is disastrous, for that makes Christ good for nothing.

"Let us bear this in mind when the devil accuses our conscience. When that dragon accuses us of having done no good at all, but only evil, say to him: “You trouble me with the remembrance of my past sins; you remind me that I have done no good. But this does not bother me, because if I were to trust in my own good deeds, or despair because I have done no good deeds, Christ would profit me neither way. I am not going to make him unprofitable to me. This I would do, if I should presume to purchase for myself the favor of God and everlasting life by my good deeds, or if I should despair of my salvation because of my sins.” – Commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther, translated by Theodore Graebner