Letter to my softball buddies

I wrote this letter this morning, thought I would share it with you. Any further thoughts on the matter?

I have been thinking about our discussions as of late, particularly as it regards assurance of salvation and the goodness of God.

It seems to me that there are four things that work in harmony with each other, where if they get out of sync or one overpowers the other it can cause problems of doubt.

They are:
Faith
Grace
Knowledge
Responsibility

Faith is informed. We have been led to believe. Someone or something has led us to faith. It isn't blind. But, If we put all our understanding in faith, eventually we will ask, "what was it we have faith in?" and we could get shallow, trite or naive.

Grace is the power God gave us to come to him. Its getting something we don't deserve because of our sin nature. But over emphasis on grace can lead us to sin (see Romans 6).

Knowledge is often ripped on in the NT, but we need to KNOW what it is we are to believe and he we are to live. Romans 10 addresses this. The reason I want to do missions or engage with people at home depot is to share truth with them, so they will know the savior. But, if we lean to heavily on knowledge, eventually we will derail because there are so many things in the world/life that just don't make knowledgable sense to me.

Responsibility is ever present. The bible is clear that we are to work out our salvation. There is accountability all over the bible. For me, if I put too much stock in my responsibility, I feel close to God when I'm doing good, and I feel far from God when I'm living sinfully.

I know the word balance has often been overused, but I can't think of a better word.

In my own life, when I'm feeling askew, I can usually pin it down to one or more of these principles being misappropriated.

Just a Monday thought for you brothers. Hopefully it brings some peace amidst a bummer of a game last night.


Phil

Phil Carlson Custom Woodcraft LLC

651.246.7359

www.philcarlsoncwc.com

Sent from my mobile phone. 

Morning encouragement

I found his little meditation to be very encouraging and convicting this morning. It was very tender in it's correction, and practiced what it preached. It gets at the heart of some of the topics we have had as of late concerning language and worm theology. 

I hope it blesses you today. Jesus cherishes all of you!

Phil

"Babes in Christ."

1 Corinthians 3:1

Are you mourning, believer, because you are so weak in the divine life: because your faith is so little, your love so feeble? Cheer up, for you have cause for gratitude. Remember that in some things you are equal to the greatest and most full-grown Christian. You are as much bought with blood as he is. You are as much an adopted child of God as any other believer. An infant is as truly a child of its parents as is the full-grown man. You are as completely justified, for your justification is not a thing of degrees: your little faith has made you clean every whit. You have as much right to the precious things of the covenant as the most advanced believers, for your right to covenant mercies lies not in your growth, but in the covenant itself; and your faith in Jesus is not the measure, but the token of your inheritance in him. You are as rich as the richest, if not in enjoyment, yet in real possession. The smallest star that gleams is set in heaven; the faintest ray of light has affinity with the great orb of day. In the family register of glory the small and the great are written with the same pen. You are as dear to your Father's heart as the greatest in the family. Jesus is very tender over you. You are like the smoking flax; a rougher spirit would say, "put out that smoking flax, it fills the room with an offensive odour!" but the smoking flax he will not quench. You are like a bruised reed; and any less tender hand than that of the Chief Musician would tread upon you or throw you away, but he will never break the bruised reed. Instead of being downcast by reason of what you are, you should triumph in Christ. Am I but little in Israel? Yet in Christ I am made to sit in heavenly places. Am I poor in faith? Still in Jesus I am heir of all things. Though "less than nothing I can boast, and vanity confess." Yet, if the root of the matter be in me I will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the God of my salvation.

Phil Carlson Custom Woodcraft LLC

651.246.7359

www.philcarlsoncwc.com

Please excuse any spelling errors. This message was sent from my mobile phone. 

Meditation

Emily and I were both blessed by this meditation this morning. Hope you are too. 

"I will meditate in thy precepts."

Psalm 119:15

There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on his Word spiritual strength for labor in his service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if we would have wine from it, we must bruise it; we must press and squeeze it many times. The bruiser's feet must come down joyfully upon the bunches, or else the juice will not flow; and they must well tread the grapes, or else much of the precious liquid will be wasted. So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth, if we would get the wine of consolation therefrom. Our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process which really supplies the muscle, and the nerve, and the sinew, and the bone, is the process of digestion. It is by digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with the inner life. Our souls are not nourished merely by listening awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it. Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord, and be this our resolve this morning, "I will meditate in thy precepts."

Phil

Phil Carlson Custom Woodcraft LLC

651.246.7359

www.philcarlsoncwc.com

New Creation

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

Rejoice today brothers and sisters, we are NOT who we used to be, we have been made new by Jesus! Amen!!!

We don't have to even think about who we were unless it helps us appreciate who Jesus has made us. When we think negatively about ourselves we are forgetting who we are, God smiles over us, even rejoices over us with loud singing!

Love you and miss you all.

Phil

Great Day

I had a great day at work today! Terry helped me, the Lord was merciful, I felt successful, and the homeowner was happy.

I had such a great day that it wasn't burdensome to take care of our needy kids when I got home tonight. It was a joy to spend time with them, and give my bigtime wife a much needed break.

I hope y'all had a wonderful day.

Phil