Die erste Ausgabe des Timotheus Magazins wurde gerade veröffentlicht und ich muss sagen von dem was ich gelesen habe ausgezeichnet. Auch optisch kommt das Magazin tadellos daher. Also unbedingt lesen!
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Ein Abschnitt von Richard Baxter der mich schon länger begleitet. Bei ausreichendem Interesse übersetze ich ihn vll. mal.
Richard Baxter:
How To Spend The Day With God
A holy life is inclined to be made easier when we know the usual sequence and method of our duties – with everything falling into its proper place. Therefore, I shall give some brief directions for spending the day in a holy manner.
Sleep
Measure the time of your sleep appropriately so that you do not waste your precious morning hours sluggishly in your bed. Let the time of your sleep be matched to your health and labour, and not to slothful pleasure.
First Thoughts
Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows.
Familiarise yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night’s rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonising pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives.
Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How
speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time and seek it without delay.
Prayer
Let prayer by yourself alone (or with your partner) take place before the collective prayer of the family. If possible let it be first, before any work of the day.
Family Worship
Let family worship be performed consistently and at a time when it is most likely for the family to be free of interruptions.
Ultimate Purpose
Remember your ultimate purpose, and when you set yourself to your day’s work or approach any activity in the world, let HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written upon your hearts in all that you do.
Do no activity which you cannot entitle God to, and truly say that he set you about it, and do nothing in the world for any other ultimate purpose than to please, glorify and enjoy Him. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Diligence in Your Calling
Follow the tasks of your calling carefully and diligently. Thus:
(a) You will show that you are not sluggish and servants to your flesh (as those that cannot deny it ease), and you will further the putting to death of all the fleshly lusts and desires that are fed by ease and idleness.
(b) You will keep out idle thoughts from your mind, that swarm in the minds of idle persons.
(c) You will not lose precious time, something that idle persons are daily guilty of.
(d) You will be in a way of obedience to God when the slothful are in constant sins of omission.
(e) You may have more time to spend in holy duties if you follow your occupation diligently. Idle persons have no time for praying and reading because they lose time by loitering at their work.
(f) You may expect God’s blessing and comfortable provision for both yourself and your families.
(g) it may also encourage the health of your body which will increase its competence for the service of your soul.
Temptations and Things That Corrupt
Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you – and watch against them all day long. You should watch especially the most dangerous of the things that corrupt, and those temptations that either your company or business will unavoidably lay before you.
Watch against the master sins of unbelief: hypocrisy, selfishness, pride, flesh pleasing and the excessive love of earthly things. Take care against being drawn into earthly mindedness and excessive cares, or covetous designs for rising in the world, under the pretence of diligence in your calling.
If you are to trade or deal with others, be vigilant against selfishness and all that smacks of injustice or uncharitableness. In all your dealings with others, watch against the temptation of empty and idle talking. Watch also against those persons who would tempt you to anger. Maintain that modesty and cleanness of speech that the laws of purity require. If you converse with flatterers, be on your guard against swelling pride.
If you converse with those that despise and injure you, strengthen yourself against impatient, revengeful pride.
At first these things will be very difficult, while sin has any strength in you, but once you have grasped a continual awareness of the poisonous danger of any one of these sins, your heart will readily and easily avoid them.
Meditation
When alone in your occupations, improve the time in practical and beneficial meditations. Meditate upon the infinite goodness and perfections of God; Christ and redemption; Heaven and how unworthy you are of going there and how you deserve eternal misery in Hell.
The Only Motive
Whatever you are doing, in company or alone, do it all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Otherwise, it is unacceptable to God.
Redeeming The Time
Place a high value upon your time, be more careful of not losing it than you would of losing your money. Do not let worthless recreations, television, idle talk, unprofitable company, or sleep rob you of your precious time.
Be more careful to escape that person, action or course of life that would rob you of your time than you would be to escape thieves and robbers.
Make sure that you are not merely never idle, but rather that you are using your time in the most profitable way that you can and do not prefer a less profitable way before one of greater profit.
Eating and Drinking
Eat and drink with moderation and thankfulness for health, not for unprofitable pleasure. Never please your appetite in food or drink when it is prone to be detrimental to your health.
Remember the sin of Sodom: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food and abundance of idleness” – Ezekiel 16:49.
The Apostle Paul wept when he mentioned those “whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame — who set their minds on earthly things, being enemies to the cross of Christ” – Philippians 3:18-19. O then do not live according to the flesh lest you die (Romans 8:13).
Prevailing Sins
If any temptation prevails against you and you fall into any sins in addition to habitual failures, immediately lament it and confess it to God; repent quickly whatever the cost. It will certainly cost you more if you continue in sin and remain unrepentant.
Do not make light of your habitual failures, but confess them and daily strive against them, taking care not to aggravate them by unrepentance and contempt.
Relationships
Remember every day the special duties of various relationships: whether as husbands, wives, children, masters, servants, pastors, people, magistrates, subjects.
Remember every relationship has its special duty and its advantage for the doing of some good. God requires your faithfulness in this matter as well as in any other duty.
Closing the Day
Before returning to sleep, it is wise and necessary to review the actions and mercies of the day past, so that you may be thankful for all the special mercies and humbled for all your sins.
This is necessary in order that you might renew your repentance as well as your resolve for obedience, and in order that you may examine yourself to see whether your soul grew better or worse, whether sin goes down and grace goes up and whether you are better prepared for suffering, death and eternity.
May these directions be engraven upon your mind and be made the daily practice of your life.
If sincerely adhered to, these will be conducive to the holiness, fruitfulness and quietness of your life and add to you a comfortable and peaceful death.
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Großartiges Design und Großartiger Inhalt.
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Das Foto ist von biloba / photocase.com
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Da ich vor kurzem den zweiten Teil der Gesamtausgabe von Jonathan Edwards Werken gelesen habe, gebe ich hier mal einige übersetzte Zitate wieder. Heute zum Thema Sünde. Was hört man so wenn man mit Leuten spricht: (mit “bekennenden” Christen als auch mit nicht Christen)
Schauen wir einmal was Edwards dazu in der Bibel gefunden hat.
[Yale Ausgabe s. 226]
Die kleinste Sünde gegen einen unendlichen Gott, hat eine unendliche Abscheulichkeit oder Verdorbenheit an sich, aber der höchste Grad von Heiligkeit in einer Kreatur, hat nicht eine unendliche Lieblichkeit an sich: darum ist die Lieblichkeit davon nichts, verglichen mit der Verdorbenheit der kleinsten Sünde.
Das jede Sünde unendliche Verdorbenheit in sich trägt ist am einfachsten daran bewiesen, dass worin das Böse, die Ungerechtigkeit oder Abscheulichkeit der Sünde besteht, die Verletzung einer Verpflichtung, die gebrochen wird, ist. Oder aber darin besteht, dass wir das das Gegenteil von dem tun von was wir tun sollte, zu sein haben, oder verpflichtet sind zu tun. Darum um wie viel größer Verpflichtung ist die verletzt wird, um so viel größer ist auch die Ungerechtigkeit und Abscheulichkeit der Übertretung. Unsere Pflicht jedes Wesen zu lieben, zu ehren ist sicherlich proportional zu dessen Lieblichkeit und Ehrbarkeit, oder zu seinem Wert geliebt zu werden und von uns geehrt zu werden, was das gleich ist. Wir haben sicher eine größere Pflicht ein liebenswerteres Wesen zu lieben, als ein weniger liebenswertes. Unsere Verpflichtung ein Wesen das unendlich liebenswert oder wertvoll ist von uns geliebt zu werden zu lieben ist deshalb unendlich groß. Und darum hat was auch immer im Gegensatz zu dieser Liebe ist, eine unendliche Ungerechtigkeit, Verdorbenheit und Unwürdigkeit in sich. Aber auf der anderen Seite, im Bezug auf unsere Heiligkeit oder Liebe zu Gott gibt es keine unendliche Wertvollkeit (oder Lieblichkeit). Die Sünde des Geschöpfs gegen Gott ist unverdient und haßenswert in Proportion zu dem Abstand der zwischen Gott und dem Geschöpf ist. Die Größe des Objekts und die Gemeinheit und Minderwertigkeit des Subjekts (der Mensch), verschlimmern das ganz schon. Aber es ist umgekehrt in Bezug auf den Wert des Respekts den das Geschöpf zu Gott hat, dieser ist wertlos und nicht würdig, im Vergleich zu der Gemeinheit des Subjekts. Desto größer die Entfernung zwischen Gott und dem Geschöpf ist, desto weniger ist der Respekt des Geschöpfs würdig von Gott bemerkt oder angesehen zu werden.
For the least sin against an infinite God, has an infinite hatefulness or deformity in it, but the highest degree of holiness in a creature, has not an infinite loveliness in it: and therefore the loveliness of it is as nothings, in comparison of the deformity of the least sin. That every sin has infinite deformity and hatefulness in it, is most demonstrably evident; because what the evil, or iniquity, or hatefulness of sin consists in, is the violating of an obligation, or the being or doing contrary to what we should be or do, or are obliged to. And therefore by how much the greater the obligation is that is violated, so much the greater is the iniquity and hatefulness of the violation. But certainly our obligation to love and honor any being is in some proportion to his loveliness and honorableness, or to his worthiness to be loved and honored by us; which is the same thing.We are surely under greater obligation to love a more lovely being, than a less lovely; and if a Being be infinitely lovely or worthy to be loved by us, then our obligations to love him are infinitely great; and therefore, whatever is contrary to this love, has in it infinite iniquity, deformity, and unworthiness.But on the other hand, with respect to our holiness or love to God, there is not an infinite worthiness in that. The sin of the creature against God, is in deserving and hateful in proportion to the distance there is between God and the creature: the greatness of the object, and the meanness and inferiority of the subject, aggravates it. But it is the reverse with regard to the worthiness of the respect of the creature to God; it is worthless, and not worthy, in proportion to the meanness of the subject. So much the greater the distance between God and the creature, so much the less is the creature’s respect worthy of God’s notice or regarded
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Ich werde heute einmal ein neues Post Format ausprobieren. Das ganze soll so funktionieren: Ich stelle eine Frage und erwarte Antworten im Kommentarteil. Nach 5 Antworten oder so (je nach Beteiligung) schreibe ich dann selbst die Antwort oder zitiere eine Person aus der Kirchengeschichte und lasse sie antworten. Also alle die das lesen mitmachen!
Die heutige Frage ist wohl die grundlegendeste die sich jeder Mensch stellen sollte. Wenn du einmal vor dem Richterstuhl Gottes stehst:
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Da ich vor kurzem den zweiten Teil der Gesamtausgabe von Jonathan Edwards Werken gelesen habe, gebe ich hier mal einige übersetzte Zitate wieder.
[Yale Ausgabe s. 273 u. 274]
Wenn die wahre Schönheit und Lieblichkeit, der Heiligkeit in den göttlichen Dingen von der Seele entdeckt wird, ist es so als ob sich eine neue Welt vor ihren Augen eröffnen würde. … Daran verstehen wir die Herrlichkeit des Himmels, die in der Schönheit und dem Glück das in der Heiligkeit liegt besteht. Daran erkennen wir die Lieblichkeit und das Glück sowohl an den Heiligen als auch an den Engeln. Er der die Schönheit der Heiligkeit sieht, sieht das größte und wichtigste auf der Welt, das die Fülle aller Dinge ist, ohne das die ganze Welt leer wäre, nicht besser als nichts, ja schlechter als nichts.
When the true beauty and amiableness of the holiness or true moral good that is in divine things, is discovered to the soul, it as it were opens a new world to its view. … By this men understand the true glory of heaven, which consits in the beauty and happiness that is in holiness. By this is seen the amiableness and happiness of both saints and angels. He that sees the beauty of holiness, or true moral good, sees the greatest and most important thing in the world, which is the fullness of all things, without which all the world is empty, no better than nothing, yea, worse than nothing.
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Eigentlich gibt es über mich nicht viel zu sagen. Ich bin einfach ein Schaf das der Herr Jesus gefunden hat. Das wars von mir etwas wenig aber in anbetracht daran das es in diesem Blog um Jesus gehen soll schon viel zu viel. Wenn ihr mir was zu sagen habt hinterlasst entweder einen Kommentar oder meldet euch per twitter.
