Ben Zornes

Living and Dying to Show the Preciousness of Christ

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Beware the Revolution

Beware the Revolution

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We live in an age where revolution is in the air. This is not unusual; we have numerous instances of lightstock_228603_small_user_5740715revolutionary fervor throughout history. When discontented and hasty fools band together in sufficient numbers, a revolt against the status quo is almost inevitable. The likelihood of achieving their intended end is questionable, because they didn’t think that far ahead, and probably have a thousand different definitions of what the intended end is.
Christians are not opposed to bloodshed in the cause of justice, liberty, and virtue; but largely have a history of overturning world powers without raising a sword. The Roman Empire was conquered by Christianity without the Christians raising a sword, while being violently slaughtered. Go figure that one out!
Many a young man, zealous for truth, neglects to understand that the word of God commands us to discern “what manner of spirit ye are of (Lk. 9:55)”. Passion and pride have had many a tryst in the souls of well-intentioned zealots, giving birth to their children: division, schism, dissensions, and murder. The fool is hasty for he knows not what. The godly man is hasty to obey God’s Word, which requires patiently waiting for the fruit of diligent study. Forests take longer to form than a thistle grove. All too often, godly young men are allured into the temptation of wanting to change the world in an instant, and instead they make the world miserable for everyone around them. [Read more…] about Beware the Revolution

M’Cheyne’s Advice for Bible Reading

M’Cheyne’s Advice for Bible Reading

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I’ve used RM M’Cheyne’s Bible reading plan for many years now, and I find it very useful, and edifying. He has some great insight into the dangers of regular Bible reading as well as the advantages of faithful study of God’s Word. Let this spur you onward in spending time with the Lord through the Scriptures.

DANGERS.

(1.) Formality. – We are such weak creatures that any regularly returning duty is apt to degenerate into a mccheyne-ben-zornes-bible-readinglifeless form. The tendency of reading the Word by a fixed rule may, in some minds, be to create this skeleton religion. This is to be the peculiar sin of the last days – “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” Guard against this. Let the calendar perish rather than this rust eat up your souls.

(2.) Self-righteousness. – Some, when they have devoted their set time to reading of the Word, and accomplished their prescribed portion, may be tempted to look at themselves with self-complacency. Many, I am persuaded, are living without any Divine work on their soul – unpardoned and unsanctified, and ready to perish – who spend their appointed times in secret and family devotion. This is going to hell with a lie in their right hand.

(3.) Careless reading. – Few tremble at the Word of God. Few, in reading it, hear the voice of Jehovah, which is full of majesty. Some, by having so large a portion, may be tempted to weary of it, as Israel did of the daily manna, saying – “Our soul loatheth this light bread;” and to read it in a slight and careless manner. This would be fearfully provoking to God. Take heed lest that word be true of you – “Ye said, also, Behold what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of Hosts.”

[Read more…] about M’Cheyne’s Advice for Bible Reading

We’ve Been Groomed for This

We’ve Been Groomed for This

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However surprising Trump’s rise to political prominence is, what is unsurprising is that some people are donald-trump
ever eager to support authoritarianism. What does come as a surprise is who this batch of people is: largely, evangelicals.

It would seem to me that Christians ought to have seen through the charade of playing to our nationalistic fantasies, and they ought to have noticed the parade of inconsistencies. But it would seem that they haven’t.

Why is this? Why should a people whose faith teaches us to be patient, fore-bearing, discerning, shrewd, self-controlled and wary of tyranny be so easily duped by the ponzi scheme being run on us. A billionaire has set his sights on the Oval Office and correctly concluded that he would be best served in obtaining that venture by winning the support of Evangelical Christians. In order to do this, he has played American Evangelicals like a fiddle. [Read more…] about We’ve Been Groomed for This

The God Who Came Down

The God Who Came Down

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And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

—— Exodus 2:11-12——

As humans we seem to be fixated with fixing. We want to find solutions to the problems, answers to the moses slays egyptianriddles. While the instinct to fix things surely derives from our longing to return to Eden, we, as Christians, must avoid the danger of healing this earth’s troubles via the strength and might of man.

We read (in Ex. 2:11-12) that Moses assesses the problem and discerns the injustice accurately. Tyranny, government overreach, racial tensions, and high taxes were all in play here. However, his solution was built on the sandy soil of humanism; he endeavored to accomplish God’s purposes using the devil’s tools. [Read more…] about The God Who Came Down

One Word at a Time

One Word at a Time

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I was digging through some old files and found this, and realized I never have released these on my blog. This is close to four years old now, but it is essentially a reflection on a few verses from Psalm 36, taking it word by word, phrase by phrase. Hopefully, you find it edifying…

Psalms 36:5-7 KJV

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness mountains-ben-zornesis like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

Thy– We begin this meditation zeroing in on a pronoun which designates a person outside of me, and it is a possessive pronoun, meaning, this other individual possesses something. The posture of this text is focused on something outside of “me.”

Mercy– Webster defines mercy as, “That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.” While our earthly understanding of mercy is that it is the overlooking of offense, and choosing to inflict less punishment upon a guilt party, the biblical word here designates a zealous passion and ardor to not just overlook offense, but to give, impart and bestow most tender love and goodness. Let’s simply connect these first two words, and observe that this mercy–which overlooks our utter lack of merit and deserving–is what belongs to this party outside of ourselves. Meaning, Someone other than us has a deep, and passionate lovingkindness which they possess and zealously long to give.

[Read more…] about One Word at a Time

Asking the Fox to Babysit

Asking the Fox to Babysit

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In one of my recent posts I discussed some of the issues which the primary season has raised. I was askedfox-ben-zornes about a few aspects of it, and wanted to flesh some of this out. I think one of the most wonderful aspects of politics is that we get to hear what people running for office say, then we can compare that with what they have done, and then we get to see how many people were fooled after the polls close.

In essence, we get to hear a great deal of opinions and the point of an election is that we then vote for who best represents us. Unfortunately, the reality of living in a representative government is lost on much of our citizenry, and that is largely why we are in the state we are. We entrusted the fox with the chore of collecting the eggs from the chicken coop, and are shocked when we awake in the morning to find, through groggy eyes, that the chickens are gone, and ask the fox if he can watch the baby while we go look for the chickens.

When you vote, you are choosing someone to represent you. This means that their vote, is your vote; their abstaining, is your abstaining; they’re declaration of war is yours; their executive overreach is what you chose! [Read more…] about Asking the Fox to Babysit

Like Dad Jokes, Only Better

Like Dad Jokes, Only Better

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I am currently reading through “The Treasury of David“ by CH Spurgeon (yes all 7 volumes, yes I’m not doing much else), for one of my Greyfriars Hall classes. It is all really wonderful, and only as Spurgeon can do wonderful. Psalm 25 grabbed my attention and so I thought I would share some of the excerpts. It was one of those sections of a book where you just keep highlighting and don’t know when to stop, sort of like your dad gets when he starts telling lame jokes when your friends are around! Like that. Only better…

I couldn't help myself...I am a dad after all!
I couldn’t help myself…I am a dad after all!

Anyhow…enjoy:

  • [David’s] sorrows remind him of his sins, and his sorrow for sin drives him to his God.
  • Why should not all the wit and ingenuity of man be sanctified to noblest ends by being laid upon the altar of God?
  • It is but a mockery to uplift the hands and the eyes unless we also bring our souls into our devotions. True prayer may be described as the soul rising from earth to have fellowship with heaven; it is taking a journey upon Jacob’s ladder, leaving our cares and fears at the foot, and meeting with a covenant God at the top. Very often the soul cannot rise, she has lost her wings, and is heavy and earth bound; more like a burrowing mole than a soaring eagle. At such dull seasons we must not give over prayer, but must, by God’s assistance, exert all our powers to lift up our hearts. Let faith be the lever and grace be the arm, and the dead lump will yet be stirred. But what a lift it has sometimes proved! With all our tugging and straining we have been utterly defeated, until the heavenly loadstone of our Saviour’s love has displayed its omnipotent attractions, and then our hearts have gone up to our Beloved like mounting flames of fire.
  • Faith is the cable which binds our boat to the shore, and by pulling at it we draw ourselves to the land; faith unites us to God, and then draws us near to him.
  • We must see to it that our faith is sound and strong, for otherwise prayer cannot prevail with God.
  • We ought to be grateful for occasional griefs if they preserve us from chronic hardheartedness.
  • [Men] sin because they will sin, not because it is either profitable or reasonable to do so.
  • It were well for many professors if instead of following their own devices, and cutting out new paths of thought for themselves, they would enquire for the good old ways of God’s own truth, and beseech the Holy Ghost to give them sanctified understandings and teachable spirits.
  • We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously he once waited for us.
  • The world winks at the sins of younger men, and yet they are none so little after all; the bones of our youthful feastings at Satan’s table will stick painfully in our throats when we are old men. He who presumes upon his youth is poisoning his old age.
  • A painful sense of any one sin provokes the believer to repentance for the whole mass of his iniquities.
  • God is good to those that be good.
  • Gracious souls, by faith resting upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus, keep the covenant of the Lord, and, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, they walk in his testimonies; these will find all things working together for their good, but to the sinner there is no such promise. Keepers of the covenant shall be kept by the covenant; those who follow the Lord’s commandments shall find the Lord’s mercy following them.

Note: Read more of my blog posts about or quoting Charles Spurgeon, which thing I am wont to do, as the King James might say it!

Ben Zornes