Posts by Tim Brister

 

There is a popular opinion today that perceives Christianity as a religion of restraint. For many, the objection to becoming a Christian has to do with the restrictions placed on their freedom to live their "best life now." Christianity obstructs this kind of life by being a religion of “don’t”. Don’t party. Don’t act like certain people. Don’t live a certain way. Don’t go to certain places. Don’t this and don’t that. In sum, outsiders to Christianity feel like the storm cloud on their sunny day, the proverbial “no” to their every “yes.”

 

The heart of hypocrisy is hypocrisy in the heart. If we want to deal with our hypocrisy, let us not simply look at the symptomatic behavior patterns of contradictory lives. Rather, let us strike at the root in the heart with God’s glorious Good News that He is better than what life can offer now and death can take later. And let us rest and rejoice in Jesus as our everlasting reward!

 

We are often tempted to think that the messes and needs of the world are too great to bear, so it seems to make more sense just to send the people away. But Jesus has a word for us too. He may not put a miracle in our hands. He does more than that. He has put a miracle in our hearts.

 

It should be said of all Christians that we desire to live faithfully unto to the Lord and also bear much fruit as His disciples. However, the sphere of our fruitfulness does not depend on our ability—or does it? The tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is one that has constituted many debates throughout church history. While it is important to discuss and debate these matters, it is vastly more important for us to understand how it impacts our practical Christian living.

 

Followers of Jesus should have a glorious ambition fueled by God's Gospel, channeled through His church, and aimed for His glory. This is what we see in the revelation of the Triune God. It is what we see lived out in the life of the apostle Paul and other early church leaders. Our minds should singularly aim and focus without debate or doubt for the magnification of the name of Jesus as our chief meditation and highest ideal. Our desires ought to be white hot, full of passion, fully directed toward the supremacy of Christ in all things. Our wills ought to be unwavering and resolute in the cruciform life our Lord patterned before us. Together, this kind of ambition is glorious, because we find our ambitions wrapped up in God’s ambition for His glory.