“To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect.”

John Owen

John Owen, one of my favorite Anglicans and Puritans, summarized well the difference between synergism and monergism.  To think that we have anything we can add to the finished work of Christ is to nullify the great good news of the Gospel.  It is finished.  He has done it.

As we discussed on Sunday, God alone acts to bring about His purposes–  in His timing, in His ways.  We can’t rush Him, or help Him, or do it better than Him.  Grace always comes first.  God always moves first.  Our relationship with God is always one of us responding to Him.  That reality is humbling and an affront to our pride and self-sufficiency.

It was a sweet experience to dig into this interaction between Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar.  I think many of us were touched by how quickly we just ‘run out and get our own Big Gulp.’  Waiting on the Lord is something that develops over a lifetime.  I am reminded of my gratitude for a place like Restoration to work this out.

I felt a ton of compassion for those who are trying to practice more prayer, more confession, and more empathy in their marriage.  Remember that you are not alone.  All of us have places where we are trying to strengthen our marriage–  so don’t believe the lie that you are the only one and allow yourself to become isolated.  Reach out to your small group leader, a pastor, or get a referral for a professional counselor.  We all need ‘on the job training’ and we all want to be life-long learners.

Wacky Wednesdays are Done

Just a quick reminder.  I realize that we had planned our final Wacky Wednesday event for tomorrow night (8/31).  But we have needed to cancel.  So, invite a neighbor to your house for a bbq tomorrow night.  Or if you’re a dude, come to Burger Brothers at the Jones on Friday night.  We will not be having a Restoration event on Wednesday, Aug 31.

See ya soon.

-David