The Word of God cuts through the fog of Satan's lies and shows me where true and lasting happiness is to be found. And so the Word helps me stop trusting in the potential of sin to make me happy, and instead leads me to trust in God's promise of infinite, lasting joy. Psalm 16:11 … Continue reading True and Lasting Happiness
Augustine
Hungry Hearts
Like Bruce Springsteen said, all of us have hungry hearts. We have a hunger to experience the transcendent. We have a hunger to love and be loved. We have a hunger for purpose and meaning in life. Left to ourselves, we generally look to satisfy our hungry hearts with the treasures and pleasures of this … Continue reading Hungry Hearts
Temptation & the Loveliness of Jesus
The below three quotations remind us of the only real, lasting cure for resisting temptation. To respond to the distorting nature of temptation and sin you must set your affections on the beauty and glory of God, the loveliness of Christ, and the wonder of the gospel: Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed … Continue reading Temptation & the Loveliness of Jesus
Prayer of Confession – Re. Physical Beauty
Beautiful Savior, You died to make me beautiful. For I was marred and made beastly by sin. Late it was that I loved you, beauty so ancient and so new, late I loved you! I vacillate between a monkish contempt of physical beauty and a worldly addiction to physical beauty. Forgive me where I have … Continue reading Prayer of Confession – Re. Physical Beauty
A Few Great Quotes from Augustine on Worship
Augustine: “You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you.” “He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.” “If the things of this world delight you, praise God for them but turn your love away from them and … Continue reading A Few Great Quotes from Augustine on Worship
Augustine: Why the Incarnation?
During Advent we marvel at the purpose of Christ’s incarnation. He became poor to make us rich. Here is an excerpt from a sermon by Augustine, a North African pastor from the 4th century: “The Word of the Father, by whom all time was created, was made flesh and was born in time for us. … Continue reading Augustine: Why the Incarnation?