"Though we find promises of God throughout Scripture, they don't come with specific dates and times. Therefore, when our circumstances contradict God's character and promises, we're tempted to supply God with a time frame and demand that He fulfill His promises according to it....It takes faith to wait tranquilly for something for which we have a promise from God, but no date."
--C.J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness
Showing posts with label C.J. Mahaney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label C.J. Mahaney. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Deceptive, Blinding Power of Sin
"On our own, you and I will never develop a competency for recognizing our sin. We'll always need help.
Never forget that others see what you do not. Where you're blind to sin, their vision is often twenty-twenty."
--C.J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness
Never forget that others see what you do not. Where you're blind to sin, their vision is often twenty-twenty."
--C.J. Mahaney, Humility: True Greatness
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Edwards on Pride
Jonathan Edwards on the danger and deceit of pride:
[Pride is] the worst viper that is in the heart...--Quoted in Humility: True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney
[Pride is] the greatest disturber of the soul's peace and sweet communion with Christ...
[Pride is] the most hidden, secret and deceitful of all lusts....
What a foolish, silly, miserable, blind, deceived, poor worm am I, when pride works.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Impersonation of C.J. Mahaney
If you've ever seen and/or heard C.J. Mahaney, then you will love this impersonation of him by Jonathan Rourke (which is spot-on). And the fact that C.J. can laugh so hard at himself is a sign of how genuine his humility really is.
HT: Andy Naselli for Justin Taylor
Jonathan Rourke as CJ Mahaney from Resolved on Vimeo.
HT: Andy Naselli for Justin Taylor
Thursday, January 28, 2010
False Humility...or Why I So Desperately Need the Savior
Two reasons make the story I'm about to share not only embarrassing, but shameful. It shows just how sinful I am, and why I so desperately need the Savior.
One, our pastoral staff is currently reading through C.J. Mahaney's Humility: True Greatness. Thus my sensitivity to this particular virtue ought to be heightened.
Two, I just taught Mark 9:30-50 to a senior adult Sunday School class this past Sunday. The passage is all about self-denial, self-sacrifice, humility, and service. The disciples had just been told (for the second time) that Jesus would be rejected, condemned, and killed, but he would rise again on the third day. Instead of pondering this news, they began arguing about who was the greatest. Clearly, they missed the point. And I made a point of saying Sunday morning that we must not make the same mistake they did. We must be willing to serve those who cannot repay us or honor us. For that is where true humility and true service begins. But as the story that follows will illustrate, I too missed the point.
So here's what happened.............
Yesterday afternoon, I was informed that one of our city's resident "bums" was in the lobby of our church, and he had requested to speak with a pastor. And just so you know, this particular man has become fairly well known by the churches in our city because he has caused problems for many of them, including our own. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't very excited that the request came to me (I was in the middle of doing something, after all). But I went to meet him anyway.
As we began talking, the Holy Spirit brought the Mark 9 passage I had just taught a few days ago to my mind (as well as the two chapters from Mahaney's book I had just read that morning on that very passage in Mark). I began to realize that here was an opportunity right in front of me to exercise humility by serving someone who could not possibly repay me. Here was an opportunity for me to serve someone simply for the good of serving them, not so that I would get noticed by others for being a humble servant.
But almost as soon as those thoughts crossed my mind, I began to congratulate myself inwardly for being so humble and for serving someone like this. It took virtually no time for my mind to move from thinking about humility to proudly complimenting myself for such a display of humility. My attempt at obedience was turned into a matter of disobedience in a split-second.
And to make matters worse, at about that same moment one of our ministry assistants walked by and saw me talking with him. A few seconds later, she was followed by two of our staff members. A minute or so later, one of our church's deacons walked by. And inwardly, I was glad that they had seen me so humbly serving someone who could not repay me or honor me. I was glad that four people had seen my humility on display. Of course, the fact that they saw me defeated the whole purpose, but pride has a strange way of being completely illogical.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
One, our pastoral staff is currently reading through C.J. Mahaney's Humility: True Greatness. Thus my sensitivity to this particular virtue ought to be heightened.
Two, I just taught Mark 9:30-50 to a senior adult Sunday School class this past Sunday. The passage is all about self-denial, self-sacrifice, humility, and service. The disciples had just been told (for the second time) that Jesus would be rejected, condemned, and killed, but he would rise again on the third day. Instead of pondering this news, they began arguing about who was the greatest. Clearly, they missed the point. And I made a point of saying Sunday morning that we must not make the same mistake they did. We must be willing to serve those who cannot repay us or honor us. For that is where true humility and true service begins. But as the story that follows will illustrate, I too missed the point.
So here's what happened.............
Yesterday afternoon, I was informed that one of our city's resident "bums" was in the lobby of our church, and he had requested to speak with a pastor. And just so you know, this particular man has become fairly well known by the churches in our city because he has caused problems for many of them, including our own. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't very excited that the request came to me (I was in the middle of doing something, after all). But I went to meet him anyway.
As we began talking, the Holy Spirit brought the Mark 9 passage I had just taught a few days ago to my mind (as well as the two chapters from Mahaney's book I had just read that morning on that very passage in Mark). I began to realize that here was an opportunity right in front of me to exercise humility by serving someone who could not possibly repay me. Here was an opportunity for me to serve someone simply for the good of serving them, not so that I would get noticed by others for being a humble servant.
But almost as soon as those thoughts crossed my mind, I began to congratulate myself inwardly for being so humble and for serving someone like this. It took virtually no time for my mind to move from thinking about humility to proudly complimenting myself for such a display of humility. My attempt at obedience was turned into a matter of disobedience in a split-second.
And to make matters worse, at about that same moment one of our ministry assistants walked by and saw me talking with him. A few seconds later, she was followed by two of our staff members. A minute or so later, one of our church's deacons walked by. And inwardly, I was glad that they had seen me so humbly serving someone who could not repay me or honor me. I was glad that four people had seen my humility on display. Of course, the fact that they saw me defeated the whole purpose, but pride has a strange way of being completely illogical.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
Friday, October 23, 2009
Singing the Gospel Every Sunday
C.J. Mahaney answers the question, "Why sing so many cross-centered songs in corporate worship?" This is well worth the 8:35!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Summer Preaching Methods
Some may disagree with this approach, but C.J. Mahaney offers his thoughts (based on a few decades of pastoral ministry) on preaching during the summer months.
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