Thursday, May 7, 2009

Great illustration from The Rare Jewel


Here's another excerpt from The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. This book is filled with illustration upon illustration. I wonder why so many who appreciate Puritan works do not make use of illustration in their preaching. They have good precedent should the start to do so! Anyhow, check out this awesome illustration:

So if we would be vessels to receive God's mercy, and would have the Lord pour His mercy to into us, we must have quiet still hearts. We must not have hearts hurrying up and down in trouble, discontent, and vexing, but still and quiet hearts. If a child throws and kicks up and down for a thing, you do not give it him when he cries so, but first you will have the child quiet. Even though you perhaps intend him to have what he cries for, you will not give it to him till he is quiet, and comes, and stands still before you, and is contented without it, and then you will give it to him. And truly so does the Lord deal with us, for our dealings with him are just as your froward children's are with you.

For the Lord to give us something that we could not be content without would only lead us further into idolatry and away from Him. If we're not content without a spouse, a better spouse, a better car, bigger church, bigger house, church plant, etc....we'll not only be discontent with those things, but we'll look to those things for life and find them severely lacking.

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