Thankful Thursday

When I write up these Thankful Thursday posts, I feel like I’m thankful for the same things over and over and that’s got to be boring to read. But the truth is, God provides for our daily needs, the things we need day in and day out, and that’s a wonderful—and, when you think about it, rather exciting—thing. 

I remember when I first grasped the concept of God’s active sustenance of the universe—you know: the world turns because every moment God commands it to turn and it responds, and all else does what it does in the very same way—and how that changed my view of everything. Think about it: if God quit commanding, we’d be in deep trouble. Truth be told, if the “word of his power” ceased to exist, I’d cease to exist.

So I’m thankful that the earth rotates. I’m thankful for the days and the seasons. (And while we’re on the subject, can I say, like I said last week, that I’m thankful for warmer winter weather.) I’m thankful, too, that I exist—that I putter along, yesterday, today, and maybe tomorrow, God willing. 

I’m thankful for food in the fridge and oil for the furnace. For trees out my window and white snow everywhere.

I’m thankful that the God by whose word my world exists is benevolent and unchanging. I’m thankful that the God who sustains by his word also speaks to us so that we can know the One to whom we owe everything.

What about you? What are you thankful for?

Would You Do Me A Favour?

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Round the Sphere Again: Christian History

The Reformation
This week I listened to these lectures on Reformation history given by Carl Trueman at the Calvary Grace Conference 2012 at Calvary Grace Church in Calgary, AB. I recommend them all.

• Luther and His Legacy 
• Menno Simons and the Mennonites. I don’t know much about anabaptist history and I’m not sure there’s much out there that’s trustworthy, so this is an important resource.
• Calvin and Calvinism. I’ve read quite a bit on the life of Calvin, but still, I learned a few things. Calvin comes across as admirable, but not perfect. I liked that, because sometimes biographies of Calvin make him out to be not quite human.  

A Puritan
A biographical sketch of the Puritan preacher Edward Reynolds (Heritage Book Talk).

A Parliamentarian
A lesson from the life of William Wilberforce (Kevin DeYoung).