advent.

"in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. he was in the beginning with God. all things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. in him was life, and the life was the light of men...

the true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. he was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. he came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...

and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth...

and from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace...

for the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. for we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

for in this hope we were saved."

come, Lord Jesus, come.

thanksgiving.

if we complained less and were more thankful, we would be happier, and God would be more glorified. if we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our hymns of thanksgiving.

[spurgeon]

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then king david went in and sat before the Lord and said, "who am i, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? and yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! and what more can david say to you? for you know your servant, O Lord God! because of your promise, and according to your own great heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. therefore you are great, O Lord God."

[2 samuel 7:18-22]

love.

I will love them freely, the prophet hosea writes.

this sentence is a body of divinity in miniature...the sense hinges upon the word 'freely.' this is the glorious, the suitable, the divine way by which love streams from heaven to earth, a spontaneous love flowing out to those who neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought after it. it is, indeed, the only way in which God can love such as we are.

the text is a death-blow to all sorts of fitness: "I will love them freely." now, if there were any fitness necessary in us, then He would not love us freely; at least, this would be a hindrance and a drawback to the freeness of it. but it stands: "I will love them freely."

we complain, "Lord, my heart is so hard." "I will love them freely." "but I don't feel my need of Christ as I ought to." "I will not love you because you feel your need; I will love you freely." "but I do not feel that softening of spirit that i should desire." remember, the softening of your spirit is not a condition, for there are no conditions; the covenant of grace has no conditionality whatever. so we without any fitness may rest upon the promise of God that was made to us in Christ Jesus when He said, "whoever believes in him is not condemned."

it is blessed to know that the grace of God is free to us at all times, without preparation, without fitness, without money, and without price! "I will love them freely." these words invite apostates to return: indeed, the text was specially written for such--"I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely."

this is the joy we have today--that we are saved in Him.

[charles spurgeon]

joy.

you drove me from the fruitless joys, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. [augustine]

one day, i will blog again. but not today--the fourth amendment awaits.