Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who is known by you and that to know you is the foundation stone of knowledge. Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men. One who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of a humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never takes himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

(Prayer of General Douglas MacArthur, for his son)

Serve the King,
Jonathan S.

The Pilgrim

He who would valiant be/ 'Gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy/ Follow the Master.
There's no discouragement
        Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent/ To be a pilgrim.

Who so beset him round/ With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound-
       His strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might;
        Though he with giants fight,
He will make good his right/ To be a pilgrim.

Since, Lord, Thou dost defend
        Us with Thy Spirit,
We know we at the end/ Shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away!. I'll fear not what men say,
I'll labor night and day/ To be a pilgrim.

- John Bunyan

Serve the King,
Jonathan S.

Why Did Jesus Die (Hebrews 2)

1. To bring many sons to glory (2:10)
2. To be a complete Savior (2:10)
3. To sanctify us (2:11)
4. To identify with us (2:11-13)
5. To render the devil ineffective (2:14)
6. To free us from the slavery of death (2:15)
7. To help us (2:16)
8. To be a merciful and faithful high priest (2:17)
9. To make propitiation for sins (2:17)
10. To help those who are being tempted (2:18)

"It wasn't enough to be a Prophet and King, but He had to be a Priest with a perfect Sacrifice." - Dr. Roy Zuck

Serve the Highest Priest well,
Jonathan S.

Questions on James

The following questions were posed by my Sunday School teacher (Dr. Roy Zuck) at the conclusion of our study on the book of James. Consider them to be an effective overview of the application content in the book.

1. Am I facing some trial that is difficult to understand and accept?
2. Am I remembering that testing of my faith develops endurance?
3. If I lack wisdom about my trials, am I asking God?
4. Am I grateful for every good and perfect gift from God?
5. Am I quick to listen and slow to speak?
6. Am I listening to the Word and doing what it says?
7. Am I avoiding showing favoritism?
8. Am I living out my faith in good deeds?
9. Am I careful in what I say, realizing words are influential and can do damage like a fire?
10. Am I wise in God's eyes by living a life of purity, submission, mercy, and peace?
11. Am I avoiding quarrels and fights?
12. Am I avoiding being a friend of the world?
13. Am I submitting to God and resisting the devil?
14. Am I avoiding boasting?
15. Am I being patient when mistreated?
16. Am I anticipating the soon return of the Lord?
17. Am I praying when facing hardships?
18. Am I singing to the Lord in times of happiness?
19. Am I praying in times of sickness, realizing prayer can be powerful and effective?
20. Am I helping other believers who may have strayed from the truths of God's Word?

- JE
Serve God well today

Jealous for the Name of Christ

I do not know if you are aware of this, but a few weeks ago DTS professor, Dr. Daniel Wallace debated UNC professor, Dr. Bart Ehrman on the campus of Southern Methodist University. The topic of the debate was, Can We Trust the Text of the New Testament? Here is a link to Dr. Wallace's faculty page: http://www.dts.edu/about/faculty/dwallace/. Here is a link to Dr. Ehrman's page: http://www.bartdehrman.com/biography.htm.

For those who know Dr. Wallace, he does not enjoy speaking in front of people... in fact he he sweats just thinking about teaching one of his classes! This latest debate with Dr. Ehrman happened to be only his fourth debate ever! In contrast, Dr. Ehrman conducts numerous debates every year and is a very polished communicator. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the debate (work!), but I was able to hear Dr. Wallace's thoughts on the debate. There are two thoughts in particular that I would like to share with you.

First, when debating individuals, our concern should be for the individual. Dr. Ehrman's issue with the trustworthiness New Testament is not a lack of evidence, but his is with his own struggles with morality. This should lead us to love him and pray for him.

The most profound thing that Dr. Wallace said was in relation to his own thoughts and feelings leading up to the debate. He was obviously nervous about the thought of debating such a prominent scholar in front of a couple thousand of people. This nervousness was only compounded when he considered how just a few weeks earlier, Dr. Ehrman had virtually destroyed another prominent Christian in a debate over the reliability of the Bible. Dr. Wallace was concerned about whether or not he would be able to avoid having his own name destroyed in the upcoming debate. About a half-hour before the debate, the realization hit him that even if he was defeated in the debate, God would take care of His own Name and Word. What a wondrous peace this thought affords, that God is jealous of His own name and glory. Indeed, may I set my concern and affections on the advancement of the glory of God, His name, and His Word.

Walk with Him today,
JE

Our High Priest

Hebrews 9:6-7, 11 tells us that, "When these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people. But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made wit hands, that is to say, not of this building. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

I want to focus on the fact that the high priest was required to enter into the Holy of Hollies twice: the first time to shed blood on behalf of his own sins, and then again on behalf of the sins of the people. Christ Jesus, with His death, shed His own blood in the Holy Place once on behalf of the sins of the people... for He had no sin to atone for Himself.

This beautiful picture of Christ's sacrifice further demonstrates the need to be a good student of the Old Testament in order to be a good student of the New Testament.

Serve God well today, as redeemed by Christ's blood,  and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

- JE

You may have noticed that I have not written in a while... I apologize. I guess I just didn't feel like writing, and I didn't force myself to do so. I am now at Dallas Theological Seminary which is a wonderful place full of individuals who desire to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. The lectures that I attend each day are so deep and intense that I find myself having to "recover" from them. It is my desire to use this blog as a way for me to reflect on some of the things that I am exposed to as I continue in my studies.

You will also notice some new features on both the right and left hand sides of the page. On the right side, I have listed a few websites that I frequent. Though I won't agree or support everything on these sites, I do recommend that you check them out for your own benefit. On the left-hand side, there is a list of books that I am reading and then a movie that I have either watched recently, or that I recommend. Once again, please use discernment... I do not agree with everything that I read or watch (and there may be cases of a film or book not being age appropriate).

God bless you, and serve Him well today!

- JE