Of Bald Men and Bears

At first glance (as someone who has been out of the country and hasn't been paying much, if any, attention to the 2008 presidential election) I'm intrigued by candidate Ron Paul. A republican who ran as a libertarian candidate in '88, he favors a very strict interpretation of the constitution, opposes the Iraq war, while also staunchly pro-life on abortion and stem cell research.

(And he's a fan of Reagan, Jacob.)

Posted by andrew at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I was reading Psalm 72 just now, where Solomon prays that God would extend the rule of "the king." (Actually, the "Of Solomon" could be translated "For Solomon," and, since verse 20 says "The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended," this could possibly be David's psalm for his son.)

Solomon is praying for himself (or David is praying for his son) along with any other kings following him who might pray this for themselves; however, I think that it clearly has typological implications for how we might think about Jesus, the Great King coming one day to rule over all the earth In verse 15, the psalmist writes:

Long may he live;
     may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
     and blessings invoked for him all the day!

I'm not sure that, in taking this psalm typologically, we would need to adhere slavishly to every detail of the psalm; however, it is an interesting thought to pray for Jesus just as we might pray (although with a very different dynamic) for our other leaders in the church or in the political world. Following even more biblical imagery, Jesus will one day be our husband, and most people pray for their future spouses.

The trick is, of course, that Jesus does not lack anything. Can prayer be made for someone who possesses all wisdom, power, strength, honor, glory, and love? I suppose this gets into some deep water theologically in regard to prayer, and I don't really have enough worked out there to be able to offer much. Any thoughts?

Labels: Bible, Devotion, Theology

Posted by Jacob at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I know what the devil will say to you. He will say to you, "You are a sinner!" Tell him you know you are, but that for all that you are justified. He will tell you of the greatness of your sin. Tell him of the greatness of Christ's righteousness. He will tell you of all your mishaps and your backslidings, of your offences and your wanderings. Tell him, and tell your own conscience, that you know all that, but that Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and that, although your sin be great, Christ is quite able to put it all away.

Some of you, it seems to me, do not trust in Christ as sinners. You get a mingle-mangle kind of faith. You trust in Christ as though you thought Christ could do something for you, and you could do the rest. I tell you that while you look to yourselves, you do not know what faith means. You must be convinced that there is nothing good in yourselves; you must know that you are sinners, and that in your hearts you are as big and as black sinners as the very worst and vilest, and you must come to Jesus, and leave your fancied righteousnesses, and your pretended goodnesses behind you, and you must take him for everything, and trust in him.

Oh! to feel your sin, and yet to know your righteousness--to have the two together--repentance on account of sin, and yet a glorious confidence in the all-atoning sacrifice! Oh! if you could understand that saying of the spouse, "I am black, but comely"--for that is where we must come--black in myself, as black as hell, and yet comely, fair, lovely, inexpressibly glorious through the righteousness of Jesus.

--Charles H. Spurgeon, "Justification by Faith." Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 1914, p. 68.

Labels: Church, Devotion, Life, Theology

Posted by Jacob at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My brother Matt found this one. Sometimes I lose all faith in human intelligence.

Posted by andrew at 5:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (231)