#J.I. Packer

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

"God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. To live with your ‘thorn’ uncomplainingly — that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak — is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace." J.I. Packer

#God #usefulness #pain #weakness #shape #believers' #lives #dependence #spiritual growth #sanctification #J.I. Packer #Christian Quotes

[hannah-ceilidh]

"Your faith will not fail while God sustains it; you are not strong enough to fall away while God is resolved to hold you."

J.I. Packer

#christianity #christian quotes #j.i. packer

[christianblogr]

Who was J.I. Packer

Who was J.I. Packer — James Innell Packer (1926–2020) was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric, and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. His influence extended across North America, and he is known for his best-selling book "Knowing God" (1973). Here are some key points about his life and legacy:

Who was J.I. Packer — James Innell Packer (1926–2020) was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric, and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. His influence extended across North America, and he is known for his best-selling book “Knowing God” (1973). Here are some key points about his life and legacy: Who was J.I. Packer Early Life and Conversion: Born on…

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#J.I. Packer

[craigtowens]

Links & Quotes

Some links and quotes that caught my eye this week.

The devil wants us to remember what we’ve done or what we still need to do, but Jesus wants us to remember what He has already done. There is a huge difference! Check out this whole message here. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel. “The most likely man to go to hell is the man who has nothing to do on earth. Idle people tempt the devil to tempt…

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#1 Samuel #archeology #atonement #Charles Spurgeon #Elizabeth Elliot #forgiveness #God&039;s Word #Good Friday #J.I. Packer #Jesus Christ #Passion Week #prayer #purpose #quotes #spiritual warfare #technology #video

[slave-of-the-lord-jesus-christ]

What matters supremely is not the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it ~ the fact that He knows me.

-J.I. Packer

#J.I. Packer #christian quotes #christianity #christian blog #christians #quotes

[martyschoenleber]

How Can I Be Sure I am Saved?

How Can I Be Sure I am Saved?

“How Can I Be Sure I am Saved.” Some time ago, a member of the church wrote to tell me that they were confused on the issues of works and salvation. The following is a copy of an e-mail correspondence that resulted. I wrote the e-mail to help clarify the issues of works versus grace and how they work together in the Christian life. It is a brief attempt for sure, but I thought it might be helpful…

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#1 John 2:19 #1 John 2:3 #2 Corinthians 13:5 #2 Corinthians 5:17 #Ephesians 2:8-9 #Ephesians 5:5 #Grace #J.I. Packer #John 14:21 #John 1:12-13 #Philippians 2:12 #Salvation #The Gospel #Works vs Grace

[gospelborn]

The Blessing of Despair

The Blessing of Despair

J.I. Packer, the late Anglican theologian, wrote: “The index of the soundness of a man’s faith in Christ is the genuineness of the __________ it springs from.”How would you fill in that blank?The genuineness of the confidence it springs from?The love it springs from?Hope?Here is what Packer said: “The index of the soundness of a man’s faith in Christ is the genuineness of the self-despair it…

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#1 Samuel 7 #2 Cor 12:10 #2 Corinthians 1:8-10 #Dane Ortlund #J.I. Packer #martin luther #self-despair

[walkswithmyfather]

‘Wait on the LORD’ is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not His way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present, or to guide us more than one step at a time. When in doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God. When action is needed, light will come.” —J.I. Packer

From: “The Spiritual Encourager”

#psalm 27:13 #bible #christian blog #god #belief in god #faith in god #jesus #belief in jesus #faith in jesus #waiting on god #faithfulness of god #gods timing is perfect #encouragement #keep the faith #make him known

[in-christalone]

I start with the truism that each Christian’s prayer life, like every good marriage, has in it common factors about which one can generalize and also uniquenesses which no other Christian’s prayer life will quite match. You are you, and I am I, and we must each find our own way with God, and there is no recipe for prayer that can work for us like a handyman’s do-it-yourself manual or a cookery book, where the claim is that if you follow the instructions you can’t go wrong. 

Praying is not like carpentry or cookery; it is the active exercise of a personal relationship, a kind of friendship, with the living God and his Son Jesus Christ, and the way it goes is more under divine control than under ours. Books on praying, like marriage manuals, are not to be treated with slavish superstition, as if perfection of technique is the answer to all difficulties; their purpose, rather, is to suggest things to try.

 But as in other close relationships, so in prayer: you have to find out by trial and error what is right for you, and you learn to pray by praying. Some of us talk more, others less; some are constantly vocal, others cultivate silence before God as their way of adoration; some slip into glossolalia, others make a point of not slipping into it; yet we may all be praying as God means us to do. The only rules are, stay within biblical guidelines and within those guidelines, as John Chapman puts it, “pray as you can and don’t try to pray as you can’t.” J.I Packer

#prayer life #by which i need a lot of coaching honestly #quotes #quote #ji packer

[his-hope]

J.I. PACKER, Knowing God

"Wait on the Lord"- is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting.

He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not his way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the presentor to guide us more than one step at a time.

When in doubt-do nothing-but continue to wait on God. When action is needed, light will come.

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

I am graven on the palms of His hands. I am never out of His mind. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. I know Him, because He first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, One who loves me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention distracted for me, and no moment, therefore, when His care falters.

J.I. Packer

#graven #God's palms #known #loved #cared for #J.I. Packer #Christian Quotes

[crecimiento-espiritual]

ROMANS 8:14-17

De huérfanos a adoptados

Hoy reflexionaremos sobre lo que significa ser adoptados en la familia de Dios. El ex jugador de la NFL Tim Tebow dijo una vez: "Cuando tu identidad se encuentra en Cristo, tu identidad nunca cambia. Siempre eres hijo de Dios". Tebow comprendió la verdad que marca la diferencia.

Saber que perteneces a la familia de Dios es el distintivo de identidad más sólido que puedes tener en este planeta. Es mejor que cualquier cosa que este mundo puede ofrecer, y es una realidad para ti, hoy. Eres un hijo amado y elegido de Dios; esto significa que estás completamente a salvo en él.

Una vez escuché la historia de una pareja que adoptó a un niño. El flamante padre describió parte de su experiencia de esta manera:

—"Recuerdo estar frente al juez el día de la adopción. Me señaló con el dedo y me preguntó: "¿Alguien les está presionando para que adopten a este niño?". Después de asegurarle que lo hacíamos por amor a nuestro hijo, hizo esta declaración: "A partir de hoy, es su hijo. Puede que los decepcione, incluso que les cause dolor, pero es su hijo. Todo lo que posean un día será suyo y llevará su apellido". Luego miró al secretario y le dio esta orden. "Solicite un cambio en la partida de nacimiento de este niño, que refleje que ellos son los padres de este niño".

Fue entonces cuando me di cuenta de que mi Padre celestial me amaba tanto que, sin necesidad de alguna presión, me amó y lo dio todo por mí. Aquel día, él cambió mi nombre y hoy sé que pertenezco a la familia celestial de Cristo Jesús.

La adopción es una imagen poderosa y emotiva, y se utiliza repetidamente a lo largo de la Biblia como un aspecto profundo y personal. Es un acto deliberado. Gracias al sacrificio de Jesús en la cruz, tú y yo hemos sido adoptados en la familia de Dios. Nuestro estatus ha sido mejorado de forma permanente e irreversible.

Es por eso que podemos llamar a Dios, Padre. Él nos ha elegido por amor.

El teólogo J.I. Packer, en su libro "Hacia el conocimiento de Dios", dice acerca de la adopción que "es el privilegio más alto que ofrece el evangelio: más alto incluso que la justificación". Una cosa es que Dios Padre perdone a los pecadores. Otra muy distinta es adoptarlos en su familia. Sin embargo, esto es lo que enseña la Biblia. No somos simplemente perdonados, somos invitados a formar parte de la familia de Dios como hijos suyos. Como dice Pablo, "si somos hijos, también somos herederos: herederos de Dios y coherederos con Cristo".

Esta verdad es tan extraordinaria que a veces resulta difícil de comprender. Pero hoy estamos aquí para abrazarla.

Toma un momento, ahora mismo, para meditar en la increíble realidad de que eres un hijo amado y elegido de Dios.

Has sido adoptado en su familia, perteneces a ella. Llevas su nombre y su imagen. Eres valioso y profundamente amado.

Alza tu voz y con un corazón rendido a Dios declara: "Abba, Padre", y él te escucha,

Espero que esta maravillosa verdad llene tu corazón de gozo y profunda gratitud como lo ha hecho conmigo.

[christianblogr]

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Knowing God by J.I. Packer — First published in 1973, this seminal work continues to captivate readers with its exploration of the nature and importance of knowing God intimately. In this blog post, we delve into the heart of Packer’s masterpiece, uncovering its enduring wisdom and practical guidance for believers seeking a deeper relationship with the Divine.

Knowing God by J.I. Packer — First published in 1973, this seminal work continues to captivate readers with its exploration of the nature and importance of knowing God intimately. In this blog post, we delve into the heart of Packer’s masterpiece, uncovering its enduring wisdom and practical guidance for believers seeking a deeper relationship with the Divine. Knowing God by J.I.…

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#Christian Books #J.I. Packer #Knowing God

[hiswordsarekisses]

“In this world, royal children have to undergo extra training and discipline which other children escape, in order to fit them for their high destiny. It is the same with the children of the King of kings. The clue to understanding all his dealings with them is to remember that throughout their lives he is training them for what awaits them, and chiseling them into the image of Christ. Sometimes the chiseling process is painful and the discipline irksome, but then the Scripture reminds us: “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons … No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Heb 12:6-7,11). Only the person who has grasped this can make sense of Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love God”. ― J.I. Packer, Knowing God

“and, “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they are disobedient to the word, to which also they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may declare the goodness of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. In times past, you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter‬ ‭2:8-10‬

[cogentranting]

My 2023 Reads

See below for the full list of the books I read and a 1-2 sentence review of each.

Fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Italicized- reread

Cloud Cuckoo Land (Anthony Doerr) - It's like a combination of All the Light We Cannot See, Cloud Atlas and The Book Thief, except not quite as good as any of those. Good, just not as good.

The Stolen Heir (Holly Black) - Highly recommend if YA fantasy romance is your thing

On the Incarnation (Athanasius of Alexander) - one of the foundational works of early Christian theology

Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro) - Beautiful, and lovely, and thoughtful and bittersweet

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo (Tolkien translation) - technically this is poetry but its also narrative so I grouped it with fiction. Green Knight is very fun. Pearl is quite boring.

The Case Against the Sexual Revolution (Louise Perry) - I highly recommend this, just be cautious because it has some very frank discussions of some very hard topics so there's a whole bunch of language and trigger warnings attached to this recommendation

Justification Reconsidered: Rethinking a Pauline Theme (Stephen Westerholm) - I'm going to be honest-- I don't remember what I thought of this book. It was for school and I also did a bunch of research on the topic and I don't remember what part of that research this constituted.

A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (J.I. Packer) - I read a few chapters of this for a research project last year and liked it enough to buy myself a copy and read the whole thing for fun

The Warden and the Wolf King (Andrew Peterson) - Book 3 of this series (this is 4) remains my favorite but this one is really good and is a beautiful culmination of the themes

The Elements of Eloquence (Mark Forsyth) - About as good as a book that is just explaining various rhetorical figures can be.

The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Richard Bauckham) -THIS book right here I want to read again. This book made me fall in love with Revelation.

King of Scars (Leigh Bardugo) -It's the reason why I'm very upset over the cancellation of the Shadow and Bone tv series (because I won't get to see more of my boy Nikolai) but it's fine

The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims (Rebecca McLaughlin) - A very useful book, very accessible

Rule of Wolves (Leigh Bardugo) - But seriously I love Nikolai and I mostly really enjoyed this duology.

The Waste Land and Other Early Poems (T.S. Eliot) - So many words saying so many things and maybe I'll know what they mean if I read this another 30 or 40 times.

Notes From Underground (Fyodor Dostoevsky) - Very different from other Dostoevsky but fascinating in its own way

The Scarlet Pimpernel (Emmuska Orczy) - It's a romp

Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue - genuinely very very helpful to me and just randomly was emailed to me as a pdf by some site that I ended up on the email list for

The Great Hunt (Robert Jordan) - I do not have faith in this series being good over time but at book 2 they're fun

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) -It really is that good.

Original Sin: A Cultural History (Alan Jacobs) - a really interesting exploration of the idea

Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis) - The Space Trilogy is great because it just has such a different feel from most of the other sci fi I've read

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been (Jackie Hill Perry) - Perry has such a lovely poetic way of telling her story

Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me (Karen Swallow Prior) - This book is really lovely and peaceful and reflective

A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin) -honestly was not very impressed by this. It was fine.

Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy) - If you're really into the Russian classics, I would recommend this, but there's like 6 others I would recommend first.

Firefly: Big Damn Hero (James Lovegrove, Nancy Holder) -If you want the book equivalent of a solid but not stand-out filler episode of Firefly

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (Ken Liu) -I ranked all of the short stories in this on my blog if you search for it. Some are great. Some are not.

All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr) - It's really really good. A book you just want to sit with.

The Chalice of the Gods (Rick Riordan) - Kinda the same vibe as the Firefly one. It's good to see Percy again, it's a fun time, it's not taking any big swings or doing anything particularly new. But I did really enjoy the thematic linking of which gods were chosen to be a part of the story.

Dracula (Bram Stoker) - It's Tumblr, I don't need to review this here.

Biblical Critical Theory: How The Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture (Christopher Watkin) - This book is really big but it has so much good stuff in it. Well worth the read.

An Experiment in Criticism (C.S. Lewis) - There was quite I while through this one where I was not really jiving with it, but then at the end he pulls it together and I really like where he ends up, as evidenced by quoting half of it on posts here.

Poems (C.S. Lewis) - I'm not good enough at reading poetry to review it. There's a few in here that I quite liked though.

For teaching-

1. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)- it's still great. After reading it who knows how many times, it's just so good.

2. The Crucible (Arthur Miller)- The character work in here is fantastic, and I really do like it a lot, but if Miller understood grace a bit better? the ending could be phenomenal.

3. Long Way Gone (Ishmael Beah)- It's not my favorite but it is really powerful and worth reading and the kids were really invested in it

#books #booklr #cogent reads #new years #new years eve 2023

[wisdomfish]

“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message the world has ever heard or will hear.”

J.I. Packer

#christmas #hope #peace #joy #cross