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C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p. 121:

To love at all is to be vulnerable.

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change.

It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

HT: Justin Taylor

Important words for each of us from Josh Patterson at the Village Church.

All of my life I have wanted to be successful. The idea of success has driven me most of my days and the fear of not being successful has kept me on course as well. As I reflect on this, I find it interesting that not much has changed for me personally. I still desire success, but my definition of “success” has shifted drastically. Growing up in the thriving and prosperous suburb of Plano the mantra and allure of success was all around me.

Success equated to the various status symbols of the “American Dream”: expensive cars, expansive homes, exotic vacations and exclusive lives. The greater cultural system reinforced what most families modeled, and we were all competing for ways to get a slice of pie. The proverbial “Jones’” kept everyone running at breakneck speed and leaving carnage in our wake; people became a means to an end as “success” was the idol we chased. This is not isolated to Plano or the Dallas metroplex per se; rather, this ethos permeates the ghetto as much as Rodeo Drive. It is American to the core.

A biblically informed definition of success has almost nothing to do with the acquisition of material things or the achievement of personal comfort. Success for the believer is defined in relationship to Jesus Christ and His mission. Christ came to seek and save that which was lost; He calls a people unto Himself. We were once far off and have now been brought near through the blood of Christ. He creates a new humanity with transformed perspectives and ambitions.

The death and resurrection of Christ and the overall mission of God in the world now defines what success looks like for the believer and the Church. Simplistically, a believer’s desire for success should be in accordance with Romans 12:1-2. Do I look like the Savior? Have I been transformed by His grace to love radically, give generously, suffer willingly, walk humbly and engage missionally? Is the fruit of God’s Spirit evident in my heart: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

The hope in my life is that I would be successful, but success has been redefined as I have been transformed. Now, a prosperous life means an endowment of Christ-saturated thoughts, relationships and actions; not a certain tax bracket or health. Conformity to the image of Christ compels me rather than the creaturely comforts of a fading glory (2 Corinthians 5:14). The success I am now pursuing is not elusive; rather, it is eternally mine because it has been purchased by the sufficient blood of Christ and secured by the seal of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:7,14). The “American Dream” is a cheap substitute compared to the rich treasure of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7-10). The gospel reality awakens us to pleasures evermore and causes us to abandon our prior delusions of grandeur to readily accept the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for those who believe. (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Can I really be called a “success” if I waste my life chasing the wind? Maybe, but then I would also have to be called a “fool” as well.

As is the case of any theological discussion, we must define our terms.  Moreover, the denotation of words can and does fluctuate depending on the context in which they are used.  Yesterday I was asked, "What does it mean to be Reformed?"

To one person it may mean nothing more than an attempt to describe what they are not, i.e. a part of the Roman Catholic Church.  For it was theologians and church leaders like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli who broke from the church at Rome and with their commitment to return to the teaching and preaching of the Bible, committed themselves to bring reform to the church.  For another student of the Word, being Reformed may define a specific view of soteriology, that is the doctrine of salvation.  Others may choose to explain what they mean by Reformed via the Five Solas, sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, soli Deo gloria (Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, the glory of God alone).  Finally, some people may isolate the discussion to one particular area of doctrine like predestination, election, or God's foreknowledge.

When I speak of Reformed theology it includes all of the above and much more.  Reformed theology is an all-encompassing world view.  That is, it is the lens through which I see every area of life.  Nevertheless, for the purpose of a brief Blog (speaking of which, I have no clue what the definition of blog is) to be Reformed means to honor and submit to the sovereignty of God in all things.  He has created all things, sustains all things, and "accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will" (cf. Col.1 and Eph. 1). As one of America's greatest theologians reminds us, all things includes His sovereign grace in our eternal salvation.

For further reading see:

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994).

Richard Belcher, Journey in Grace, (Columbia, SC: Richberry Press).

Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1988).

Your thoughts and comments are welcomed at drbuz@firstboynton.com

Dr. Buz

“You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9

You and I are not integrated, unified, whole persons. Our hearts are multi-divided. There is a board room in every heart. Big table. Leather chairs. Coffee. Bottled water. Whiteboard. A committee sits around the table. There is the social self, the private self, the work self, the sexual self, the recreational self, the religious self, and others. The committee is arguing and debating and voting. Constantly agitated and upset. Rarely can they come to a unanimous, wholehearted decision. We tell ourselves we’re this way because we’re so busy with so many responsibilities. The truth is, we’re just divided, unfocused, hesitant, unfree.

That kind of person can “accept Jesus” in either of two ways. One way is to invite him onto the committee. Give him a vote too. But then he becomes just one more complication. The other way to “accept Jesus” is to say to him, “My life isn’t working. Please come in and fire my committee, every last one of them. I hand myself over to you. Please run my whole life for me.”  That is not complication; that is salvation.

“Accepting Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols.

HT: Ray Ortlund