I don't know about you, but I need to be reminded of this more often than not. From the compilation of Puritan devotionals, Voices of the Past.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

This life is not to be valued but as it yields opportunities to glorify
God. We were not sent into the world to live for ourselves, but
for God. If we could make ourselves, then we could live for ourselves.
If we could be our own first cause, then we might be our own end.
But God made us for himself, and sent us into the world for himself.
It is not our duty to glorify God in heaven only, but also here on
earth in the midst of difficulties and temptations. No one is sent into
the world to be idle, or to bring forth fruit to themselves, but God’s
glory must be our chief work and aim while we are here upon earth.
We must not promote merely our own interests. Every man, besides
his general calling, has his own work and course of service where he
might glorify and honour God; ‘I glorified you on earth, having accomplished
the work that you gave me to do’ (John 17:4). In a great
house one has one employment, one another: so God has designed
for every man the work he has to do; some in one calling, and some
in another; but all have their service and work given them for God’s
glory. Every morning we should revive the sense of this upon our
hearts. This day I am going to live with God. When a Christian leaves
home in the morning, he must remember he is at Christ’s disposal;
he is not to do as he pleases, but to be guided by rule, and for God’s
glory. Not only in our duties or immediate conversation with God,
but in our sports, business, and recreation. What is it to do things in
the name of Christ?—But to do it according to Christ’s will and command!
In discharge of this work, we must do it all for God’s glory. We
can do nothing without him. If we have anything to do for God, we
must do it in his own strength, in every word and every deed.

10 January
Thomas Manton, Works, i:81-82

An Everyday Evening

Outside, the sun rolled into his western bed, pulling his vermilion covers with him. The air is mellow and cool, a welcome change from the lingering August heat. The sound of my brothers playing wiffle ball carries in the clear atmosphere. Basket in hand, I step into the old sleepy barn. Hens from their roost scold as I collect their days' work. Eleven. The rooster mildly watches in the semi-dark. G' night, Randall. I lock them safely in for the night. Lungs fill with clean blue calm, stars uncover slowly in the big sky overhead, gravel crunches underfoot. The evening makes my big flannel shirt feel just right. Home lights beckon invitingly, boys laugh in the backyard, Hannah's fiddle sings a song.

For everyday evenings, thank You, Lord.


-ak

Hardy Grace

I was reading in J.C. Ryle's book Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots a while ago, and I came across this paragraph that struck me, and I copied it down in a little black Moleskine. I just reread it there, and thought you should read it too . . .

"Hundreds of hermits have buried themselves in some wilderness, and thousands of men and women have shut themselves up within the walls of monasteries and convents, under the vain idea that by so doing they would escape sin and become imminently holy. They have forgotten that no bolts and bars can keep out the devil, and that, wherever we go, we carry that root of all evil, our own hearts. To become a monk or nun, or to join a house of mercy, is not the high road to sanctification. True holiness does not make a Christian evade difficulties, but face and overcome them. Christ would have His people show that His grace is not a mere hothouse plant, which can only thrive under shelter, but a strong, hardy thing which can flourish in every relation of life... It is not the man who hides himself in a cave, but the man who glorifies God as master or servant, parent or child, in the family and in the street, in business and trade, who is the scriptural type of a sanctified man."

- J.C.Ryle, from Holiness

(John 17:15)

-ak PS For extra credit, watch The Village.

Crying Wolf Movie: Released!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the wait is over! Crying Wolf documentary is now showing for a limited time online for free!

For the last two years, my brother J.D. has been making an independent, investigative documentary, tackling the controversial topic of the Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park, and wrestling with the ideologies and exposing the radical environmental socialistic agenda behind it all.




And he did it all by himself, (with the help of many family and friends, who have given so much of their time and talents, prayers and encouragement, and made the documentary a reality). I am grateful to be a part of the film too, assisting in some camera operating, graphics and illustrations, and just hashing out edit after edit with J.D. over the last two years.




This educational film contains important truths about freedom, conservation, and the Biblical principles of dominion and stewardship that we as Western civilization desperately need to hear. Please watch and share, and find out who is really "crying wolf".


-ak