Sublime

For reflection: 2 Chronicles 15:8–15 Authority exercised with humility and obedience accepted with delight are the very lines along which our spirits live. —from ”Membership,” The Weight of Glory

It’s not enough for us to ask, does our church teach gospel doctrine? We must also ask, is our church culture clearly aligned with that gospel doctrine? For Paul, faithfulness to the gospel includes applying the gospel to our conduct: “I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel . . .” (v. 14a).

One of the oldest of the Negro spirituals deals quite interestingly with this technique. The setting is very dramatic. The slave had often heard his master’s minister talk about heaven, the final abode of the righteous. Naturally the master regarded himself as fitting into the category. On the other hand, the slave knew that he too was going to

God is continually looking for ordinary people such as John who are willing to let him use them to make a difference

our God is a God of detail.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

God smiles when we trust him completely.

Arthur F. Miller Jr. writes: “Understand that you are God’s idea. You will be held accountable for using what he gave you to work with.”4