Two Ways
OUR LAW-ISH HEARTS, HIS LAVISH HEART
excerpted from Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
There are two ways to live the Christian life. You can live it either for the heart of Christ or from the heart of Christ. You can live for the smile of God or from it. For a new identity as a son or daughter of God or from it. For your union with Christ or from it.
The battle of the Christian life is to bring your own heart into alignment with Christ’s, that is, getting up each morning and replacing your natural orphan mind-set with a mind-set of full and free adoption into the family of God through the work of Christ your older brother, who loved you and gave himself for you out of the overflowing fullness of his gracious heart….
Think of a vent in your bedroom that’s connected to your furnace. If you keep that vent closed on a cold winter day, the heat will be circulating throughout the ducts in your home, but you will not experience warmth because you’re closing it off. Opening the vents floods your room with warmth. The heat was already there, waiting to be accessed. But you were not benefiting from it….
As the gospel sinks in more deeply over time, and we wade ever deeper into the heart of Christ, one of the first outer shells of our old life that the gospel pierces is the doing of works unto approval….
There is an entire psychological substructure that, due to the fall, is a near-constant manufacturing of relational leveraging, fear-stuffing, nervousness, score-keeping, neurotic-controlling, anxiety-festering silliness that is not something we say or even think so much as something we exhale. You can smell it on people, though some of us are good at hiding it. And if you trace this fountain of scurrying haste, in all its various manifestations, down to the root, you don’t find childhood difficulties or a Myers-Briggs diagnosis or Freudian impulses. You find gospel deficit. You find lack of felt awareness of Christ’s heart. All the worry and dysfunction and resentment are the natural fruit of living in a mental universe of law. The felt love of Christ really is what brings rest, wholeness, flourishing, shalom—that existential calm that for brief, gospel-sane moments settles over you and lets you step in and out of the storm of of-works-ness. You see for a moment that in Christ you truly are invincible. The verdict really is in; nothing can touch you. He has made you his own and will never cast you out….
In the gospel, we are free to receive the comforts that are due us. Don’t turn them off. Open the vent of your heart to the love of Christ, who loved you and gave himself for you.
Our law-ish hearts relax as his lavish heart comes home to us.
1ST THURSDAY CONNECT
Our next gathering is Thursday, November 5, 7-8:30 PM. The Zoom link is bit.ly/NewLifeWomen. We will have fun “scavenging” through Genesis, worshiping the Lord through song and prayer and teaching from Genesis, and begin our study of Isaiah for November and December. You can print materials for Isaiah from the website or sign up to have a copy mailed to you at bit.ly/NewLifeWomenSignUp.
As you personally read through Isaiah, notice that the reading plan schedules 7 weeks. You will actually have 9 weeks to read Isaiah before 1st Thursday Connect in January, so feel free to adjust the schedule or read other scripture. As you read, try writing a one-sentence summary of the topic of each chapter. You might like to use The Story of Redemption Bible or Ray Ortlund’s Isaiah: God Saves Sinners or Exalting Jesus in Isaiah (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) along with your reading. If you like to take notes in your Bible while you read, try the Scripture Journal for Isaiah.
If you missed Panorama Session 1, you can view the video and find materials on the church website. Our second Panorama session will be December 3 on Zoom at 7 PM. Use your materials and review the geography and structure of the Bible before session 2!
SHARE THE JOY
Our annual Christmas celebration is Sunday, December 6! Though it will look a little different than past years, it will have a lot of the same elements. There will be time for reflection on the meaning and joy of Christmas, fun crafting and remembering God’s faithfulness through the year, and a take-home treat.
We will meet at New Life Church Gladstone Campus. One session will start at 4:00 PM and one session at 5:45 PM. All attendees must register. Friends are welcome but must be registered. Face masks and safe distancing practices will be followed. Arrive at your registered time. Each session will last approximately 75 minutes.
Sign up for either a 4:00 PM or a 5:45 PM start time at bit.ly/NewLifeWomenShareTheJoy. If you find you need to cancel your registration, please call or message Elaine Hochstettler at 530-314-4107. Thank you!
ISAIAH 40
Are you memorizing Isaiah 40 with us? You should have verses 1-5 about memorized. Memory verse cards are still available. Sign up on the New Life Women Sign Up Form.
LINKS
Below are links to articles, books, podcasts, and music that might be of interest or help on various topics. Resources are curated but may not always reflect the views of New Life Church. Enjoy!
Isaiah: God Saves Sinners—by Ray Ortlund, a commentary on Isaiah that would make a good addition to our study of Isaiah in November and December.
Isaiah: Judgment and Deliverance—@ Knowable Word, a good place to begin grasping Isaiah.
My Problem Goes Much Deeper Than Racism—by Amy Medina at Not Home Yet, so many relatable insights.
Looking to What is Unseen—by Lauren Washer. Will you trust God when you don’t understand?
Will We Die to Our Rights?—another by Lauren Washer.
Two Truths and a Lie About Applying the Gospel—@ Risen Motherhood.
Why Waiting is Good For You—@ Revive Our Hearts.
You Can’t Be a Saint By Yourself—by Megan Hill @ TGC. The gospel puts us in a new community, and we need each other.
All That is to Come—song by Christy Nockels. “Tomorrow You will be faithful again.”
Advent is for Everyone—@ Glenna Marshall. So many good resources on her blog. Here is one to help you get ready for Advent.