The Gift of Gifts

As we approach the Christmas season, I think it fitting to draw our attention from presents to a Gift.

O Source of all good,

What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts,
thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,
my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
his self-emptying incomprehensible,
his infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.

Herein is wonder of wonders:
he came below to raise me above,
was born like me that I might become like him.

Herein is love;
when I cannot rise to him he draws near on
wings of grace,
to raise me to himself.

Herein is power;
when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
he united them in indissoluble unity,
the uncreated and the created.

Herein is wisdom;
when I was undone, with no will to return to him,
and no intellect to devise recovery,
he came, God-incarnate, to save me
to the uttermost,
as man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me.

O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
and enlarge my mind;
let me hear good tidings of great joy,
and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
and in him account myself delivered from sin;
let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child
to my heart,
embrace him with undying faith,
exulting that he is mine and I am his.

In him thou hast given me so much
that heaven can give no more.

Puritan Prayer, The Valley of Vision, p. 28-29

Teach Me, pt. 2

Contentment

...contentment is....focusing on the fact that all we do have, we have by the grace of God. We do not deserve anything we have, materially or spiritually. It is all by His grace.

Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace p. 199

Following Teach Me, pt. 1, contentment goes along with gratitude.

Gratitude is a handmaiden of contentment. An ever-growing attitude of gratitude will certainly make us more content since we will be focusing more on what we do have...than on what we do not have.

Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace p. 199

When a proper view of gratitude is obtained, contentment is based out of realizing that I don't deserve what I have. If I am discontent, I am thinking that I am not getting what I deserve. Therefore, desiring things that I do not have now as though I should have them now is a perversion of appropriating God's grace in that, God is gracious to give me more than I deserve. If I am grateful for grace, I am content in the sufficiency of it and not looking for satisfaction in other areas or possessions. So by looking to other things out of discontentment, I am not only saying that Christ is not all satisfying but also saying that I am not grateful for God being so gracious. Obviously, having things I do not have now (i.e., a spouse) is gracious of God, but taking the mindset as though I must have them now displays the same ungratefulness of a spoiled child and leaves me discontent.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

I Am Most Like a Fox

While at my dad's house for Thanksgiving, I happened across this gem from my childhood. It is a story about how I am most like a fox that I wrote for school, many years ago. I hope that you, like me, find the style and wording to be hilarious. Enjoy!

I Am Most Like a Fox by Travis Evans

I am most like a fox because I am smart like one. I use my brain in tough situations. If I am having a problem, I try to solve it cleverly.
I can handle stressful situations. A fox can't panic, or it will get caught by hunters. I say this because in some situations if I were to panic, it would mean big trouble for me.
I have good eye-sight, like a fox. A fox can see for long distances. So can I. A fox isn't near-sighted or far-sighted, just like me.
I can smell really well, like a fox. I can smell things that are pretty far away. I can also tell what the smell is.
The fox is different from me because it can hear really well; I can't. It is slim; I am not. It has a tail; I don't. It has claws; I don't.
I am still like a fox.