Tags
Billy Graham, christian, christianity, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Calvin, religion, the gospel, theology, Tullian Tchividjian
Occasionally I read something online that’s so good I can’t resist re-posting it. Such is this case with this excerpt Tullian Tchividjian (Billy Graham’s grandson) published on his blog a few days ago. The words below were penned by a 25-year old John Calvin.
Here’s just a portion of the excerpt:
…every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal.
It’s impossible to overestimate the value of meditating on the beauty and power of Christ’s incomparable, immeasurable love. Read the gospels. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Let your heart and your mind be absolutely ravished by who He is and all that He’s accomplished. That’s what John Calvin was doing when he wrote those words, and they’re so nourishing that Tullian recommends reading the entire excerpt over and over (which you can do here). Sounds like good advice.
Last weekend, I had a lot of yard projects to get done, so I told my kids (ages five and eight) that we would be spending the day together working. They looked excited, and started holding out their hands at me. Somehow, without trying to, I’ve given them the impression that this type of work should always be compensated. Or maybe they’ve given themselves that impression, I’m not sure.
Having thought about that particular question for a while, I would say that good blogging requires—at the very least—time, creativity, and substance. I want to briefly examine each of those elements, beginning with substance and working backwards. I will also briefly critique myself on each point.
Where to begin! I’m 26 years old, born and raised in Sikeston, Missouri. By the tremendous grace of God I was raised in a Christian home to loving parents who have remained together in marriage and have given me an incredible model of a godly life. I was saved at an early age which is another tremendous blessing. I graduated from the University of Missouri in 2005 with a bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies.
God’s thoughts are not ours. For example, we wouldn’t normally link power with suffering–but God does. In fact, His power and wisdom are most clearly displayed in the abject weakness and foolishness of the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18-24).
