A Word of Comfort and Hope

I posted at Out of the Ordinary this morning on what it means that God ordains whatever happens, and what difference this makes.

When we use “ordained” to describe an event in history, we mean that God put it in his plan and then unfolded things, including this event, according to the plan. Ordained history consists of ordained causes and effects, all in their proper places, chained together, tugging forward toward God’s planned completion. It’s the same for the future; the ordained future will unfold and then wrap up just as God intends.

Read the whole post.

Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful 

• for my ordinary quiet life. I have no drama, no big plans, no exciting news. And that suits me just fine.
• for midnight sun. As soon as I finish this, I’ll take the dog out for his before bed walk, and it will be 11:30pm and still daylight. This is one of my favorite times of the year. 
• for God’s protection. I’ve got no “near miss” stories, but I figure that just means he’s protecting me from even the near misses. When I think about what could happen, what would happen, minus God’s protection, I am very thankful for each safe day.
• for God’s power. We’ve been having frequent thunderstorms, unusual for us, and a reminder of our powerful God who “rides upon the storm.”
• for yesterday with the toddler granddaughters. I am thankful that they enjoy each other so much. I’m thankful that we’ve got a peaceful rhythm to the days together.
• for mangoes and avacadoes. For the variety of fresh fruits and vegetable in my supermarket. 
• that God is faithful and unchanging.
• for the promise of tomorrow and eternity.

What are you thankful for?

Linked Together: Sufficient

Four things that stand alone: not just necessary, but sufficient.

Christ
Question 33 of the New City Catechism: “Should those who have faith in Christ seek their salvation through their own works or anywhere else?” 

“No, they should not, as everything necessary to salvation is found in Christ.”

Faith
Does Martin Luther’s declaration that justification is by faith alone, and that our works and merit add nothing conflict with James 2:24? Read R. C. Sproul’s answer at Ligonier Ministries Blog.

Grace
“Salvation is wholly of grace, not only undeserved but undesired by us until God is pleased to awaken us to a sense of our need of it. ” Read the whole quote from John Newton at Of First Importance.

Scripture
What does it mean that scripture is sufficient? “[T]o speak of scriptural sufficiency is one way of speaking about the unique authority of Scripture in the life of the church and the believer as the authoritative and sufficient source for the principles of faith and practice.” —Carl Trueman at 9Marks Blog.