From Pride to Humility
From Theory to Practice

College is in full swing. I'm starting to have exams. Projects are starting to be due. So what do I do for the weekend? I go to the Generations Bible Study Retreat in Santa Barbara.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the extreme pleasure of attend Generations, a GComm college group Bible Study held at the home of Bob & Teri White in Northridge. The study not only contains college students, but everyone from seminary students to the elderly.

Last weekend at the Cabrillo Inn at the Beach, we had a great time of fun, food, relaxing at the beach, playing midnight Mafia, and learning great truths from God's Word. The main topics of discussion for the weekend were pride and humility.

The first night Joey Newton lead the bible study on the topic of pride. We looked at pride all the way back to the fall of Satan and the Garden of Eden. I was confronted by the atrocity that pride is--dethroning God and seeking to put myself in his position. Joey also went through a list of 30 manifestations of pride, taken from a Stuart Scott pamphlet. I winced many times as I saw the different manifestations. Unlike many other sins we think of, pride is so subtle and can easily creep into our judgment. Therefore, we must constantly be guarding against it, be developing a high view of God, and be practicing humility.

In the last session of the weekend, Bob White lead the study on humility, also accompanied with a list of manifestations of humility (also adapted from Scott.) The two studies helped me to see the evil of pride and the necessity of humility. Pride becomes so much more terrifying when we grasp its full implications. Also, the handouts were very helpful to me because they helped me not only realize the necessity of putting off pride and on humility, but also see practical ways I can do this.

We all struggle with pride--we are madly in love with ourselves. May we all worship God alone, for he will not share his glory with another. And let us take practical steps to turn pride into humility in our own lives.

I just realized one thing about the new comment guidelines. It could very well be that you are somewhat apprehensive about putting something with your name on it out there on the world wide web. Therefore, feel free to e-mail me any time at stepontoliquid@yahoo.com. I hope that isn't too hard to remember.

A Note from Ben

As much as I enjoy receiving comments, and as much as I enjoy watching the comment total for one post go into double-digits, I have decided to install a few comment guidelines for this blog:

1) I ask that your comment be related to the post in some way

2) I ask that you leave your name

I will start deleting at my discretion comments that are not related to the post or that are left anonymously. This will definitely include any spam commenting.

I appreciate your cooperation and encourage you to step onto liquid.

Psyched
Some Musings on Nehemiah 12

To be frank, life is good. College is keeping me pretty busy, and therefore I have been somewhat negligent in my blogging duties. However, God is good, and over the last week he has blessed The Master's College with some awesome weather, and I have also had the privilege of hearing some great chapel messages, doing lots of homework, evacuating the dorm at all hours of the night, and going to a soccer game (pictured above.)

Yesterday, I read Nehemiah 12, and after reading it I experienced one of those times when I just get psyched out of my mind about. This chapter tells the story of Nehemiah dedicating the newly rebuilt wall in Jerusalem--a marvelous testimony of God's faithfulness. It showed God's faithfulness in two primary ways: 1) God was faithful to bring the Israelites back to the Promised Land after the exile, 2) God led the builders through much adversity during construction.

God's faithfulness is a truly amazing thing, and we do not have to look very far to see it. We observe it in the Bible, particularly in God's dealings with the nation of Israel. We see it in nature and how the sun rises each day and the seasons run their course each year. We feel it most keenly in our own lives as we experience God's faithfulness to us in a myriad of personal ways.

In reading this passage, I also noted two distinct responses of the Israelites to God's faithfulness. The first was purity. Verse 30 talks about the priests purifying themselves, the people, the gates, and the walls. Although this was a ritual, it symbolized the inner act of purification that was occuring. God's faithfulness should have a similar impact on us, especially in regard to the return of Jesus. We know that God is faithful, and we know that he has yet to fulfill many promises. Therefore we should be waiting expectantly for him and looking for Christ's return. "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." (1 John 3:3)

God's faithfulness also inspired a great response of praise. This chapter describes an awesome celebration involving multiple, loud praise choirs and much rejoicing all around. Verse 43 says, "And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away."

God is faithful, and we enjoy the fruits of his faithfulness every day. May we respond like the Israelites did here. May we pursue purity and look expectantly toward the future. And may our lives be a festival of praise to God that can even be heard "far away."

The Ship is Sinking
So What are We Going to Do About It?

For the last week, Dr. Boyd, my Old Testament Survey II professor, has demanded most of my time, and my blogging duties have therefore been neglected. But fear not, my blogging ambitions have not been abandoned, for I am back.

Speaking of being back, last Sunday was John MacArthur's first Sunday back at Grace Community Church after a few months of sabbatical. In his two sermon's last Sunday, he talked about recognizing a true church and what a church should be all about. His main two points were that a church should be all about Jesus and the Bible, but in one of his other points he talked about how the church should not be all about politics. He said, "We [The Church] are not trying to rearrange the furniture on the Titanic. We are trying to hand out lifeboats."

The church should never forget that only Jesus Christ can bring true change in someone's life. Whether they are "moral" or not, people are going to die, and they need to be prepared for this inevitability with the cleansing blood of Christ. This morning Prof. Jensen, my World History teacher, said, "At the end of the day, the thief, the prostitute, and the deputy sheriff go to hell without Christ." The ship is sinking, and Jesus Christ is the only lifeboat that brings salvation.

I often write about this issue of the church & politics, but as I was reminded in World History this morning, this is not an "either/or" situation. I would encourage all Christians to be involved in politics. Pay attention to current events (like the confirmation hearings for John Roberts.) Vote, and even attend your precinct meeting. Get involved in a campaign. Run for office. And do it all for the glory of Jesus Christ.

As we go throughout our lives, whether we are politicians, accountants, students, or pastors, we must always remember that the ship is sinking. We must at all times be ready to present the gospel, the only lifeboat the leads to safety.

Why?
I don't know, but I'll tell you what I do know

No one escapes tragedy. Some may live less tragic lives than others, but sooner or later, everyone must face tragedy. Sometimes it comes on a grand scale, like 9/11, or other times it comes on a smaller scale, like a death in the family.

Over the past week, I have been reminded of tragedy. I have heard stories of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that I cannot even comprehend. Many people's lives have been changed forever; many lives have been lost. I was also reminded of tragedy as I attended a memorial service for Bethany Rehrer in chapel last Friday.

Tragedy often forces a simple question: why? This question almost always quickly brings me to the end of my knowledge. But when I experience or observe tragedy, I find it helpful to remind myself of a few things.

First, God is in control. No matter what the tragedy, God is always in control. Even though the news of the Rehrers' deaths came as a shock to me, God was not surprised at all. He was on his throne, orchestrating every event. Also, God was in control of the exact path of Hurricane Katrina. The power of the winds are not too much for God, rather they are manifestations of his power and glory. Again we find ourselves asking, "Why?" And again, we cannot always know the answer. God is sovereign and infinitely above us. For a great John Piper article on this, click here.

Second, death comes to all. Whether it happens suddenly or after a long, full life, we all will die if the Lord tarries. Also, many times we wonder if certain deaths or catastrophes were a direct result of God's judgment. But as I was reminded this Sunday, all death is judgment. Why do we die? We die because we sin. A group of people once asked Jesus about some who had tragically died. Jesus answered, "Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” We are all going to die; we must be ready.

Third, we have a Savior. When we realize that we will die, we are quickly confronted with our sin and therefore our need for a Savior. But the good news of the gospel is this: we have a Savior in Jesus Christ. He has paid the price for our sins, and if we believe in him, we can find eternal life. We can live with no fear of death. We can have hope in the face of tragedy.

The inevitability of tragedy shows all of us how much we do not know, and shows us our need for a Savior. Praise be to God that through Jesus Christ, we can find forgiveness, hope, and eternal life. And once again may we all remember those suffering in the Gulf States in our prayers.

(The record should note that this post was temporarily interrupted for a fire drill.)

Thirsty

This is my new Brita water filter. I started college a week ago, and the only easily accessible water comes from the drinking fountain across the hall or the bathroom sink. However, once I pass this suspect water through my Brita and put in in my fridge, I feel like I am drinking straight from a mountain spring. Well, maybe not, but the Brita has been especially nice this week because I have been sick and therefore forcing fluids. (I am starting to feel better.)

I have been thinking a lot about "thirst" this week, and in a broader sense than just the wonderful water from my Brita. Psalm 63:1-4 says this:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands.

I have been challenged by this Psalm. Do I thirst for God? Do I long for him so much that my flesh faints? Over the past week I have celebrated my 19th birthday, and as I have thought about a new year of life, I hope to make this year a year of thirsting for God. I hope to desire God more and more throughout the year, and then seek him more the next year.

Why should we thirst for God? Thankfully, David provides a pretty good answer: Because your steadfast love is better than life. We thirst for God because we know he satisfies. He quenches the desires of our heart. Sometimes we get sidetracked and look for fulfillment elsewhere, and that is sad because we are rejecting God himself when we do so. But this year I intend to seek to become more acquainted with God, who satisfies our hearts, gives us salvation, and quenches our thirst for living water, which is way better than even the Brita variety.