The Spirit of the Law

The spirit of the law always trumps the letter of the law. When Jesus entered the world he experienced difficulty at every turn for following the true intent of God's law.

Our sinful nature likes simple answers. We want everything to be yes or no.

We do not want a call to wisdom. A call to judge rightly. A call to place others before ourselves.

That is why legalism delights in simple answers. Simple answers avoid responsibility because they allow for infinite outs.

This is the persons own fault so I have no need to intervene is the response of the sinful heart. Maybe it is true that something is a persons fault. And maybe we should not intervene, but maybe we should.

You see the bible does not allow us to so easily shirk our responsibility as legalism does. It calls us to view all things in light of the love for God and love for our neighbor.

What is ethical is placed in the higher light of true real love. In the face of real true love cliche easy answers are no longer possible.

That is why the biblical path of wisdom often falls out of fashion. Thinking and using discernment do not allow the easy shirking of the will of God that legalism provides.

As St. Augustine said: Love God and do what you please. If we truly love God we cannot go much wrong.

The Spirit of Prayer

Often the spirit of prayers is more important than the specifics.  There is often a great debate  about what we should pray for.


While I suppose there is a use in debating what we should pray for I believe we should be more concerned with the heart of prayer.   Coming to God with needs and without answers is often more helpful than coming with a plan.


You see we often overthink ourselves.  We decide what God should do and then see how we can help God can go about making it happen.


Often we simply need to admit a lack of answers and be open to the fact that we do not know what is needed.  When we are humble we are open to the leading of God.


Too often we try to figure out the need before going to God when we should instead go to God to ask what the need is.  Often praying for wisdom is far more important than praying for results.

Come as You Are

The bible bids us to come to God. It is easy to make excuses, but God wishes for us to come to himself.

The church should actively seek to bring the good news of the Christian gospel to others. Too often we are hesitant wondering if we are eloquent or what we have to say.

It is God who moves mountains and not ourselves. God has many things for us to do in life if we will be open to the possibilities. Often we quench the Spirit by doubting that God can use us.

It is easy to feel that the problems of the world are too big. If we look at the news and we see the problems in this or that country and all over the world, it is all to much.

We become paralyzed looking at the thousands of problems which present themselves to us in the world. But the reality is that if we pick one problem and begin to work on the problem we can make a difference.

It is often important to be realistic. Often we accomplish nothing because we take on goals which are beyond are ability.

We should aim to make a difference and have the humility to make a small difference rather than to fail at making a huge difference. Our faithfulness in making a small difference in the world can step by step help advance the kingdom of God in the world.

John Piper Quote on Romans 12:11

A bit from John Piper on Romans 12:11: "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" (Romans 12:11).

Intensity: Don’t Be Slothful in Zeal; Be Fervent in Spirit
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit.” It seems to me that this is a negative and positive way of saying one thing: Negatively Don’t be slothful in zeal. Positively, be fervent in spirit. The one thing Paul is saying is: Do lots of work for Christ passionately.

Each of these two statements clarifies and protects the other from misunderstanding. “Do not be slothful in zeal”—do not be lazy in zeal—could be taken to mean: be pragmatic. Work, work, work, and don’t worry about your emotions or how you feel. Getting things done is what matters. Be eager and earnest and zealous to get things done. Laziness is the great vice. The great virtue is efficiency and hard work.

But we can see how lopsided that is when we take the positive, clarifying counterpart, namely, “be fervent in spirit.” The word “fervent” comes from the Latin fervens which means “boiling.” That is exactly what this word means in the original Greek (zeontes): boiling—in spirit. So the idea is clearly not one of mere hard work or efficiency. The spirit is in view, not just the body. Feeling is in view, not just doing. So the point of both clauses together is: Don’t just do lots, feel lots.

And it works the other way around. If you read only the second exhortation: “Be fervent in spirit,” you might conclude: The Christian life is one of heart passion. Doing and efficiency are not crucial. Feeling—fervency, boiling in spirit—that is what matters. But that will not do. The first exhortation keeps us from that lopsided view: Not just feel lots, but also do lots.

The warning about being “slothful” makes it clear that Paul wants us to be hard workers. One of the clearest statements on this is what he says in 1 Corinthians 15:58. He has just written a whole chapter on the resurrection of Christ as the ground of our own resurrection, and now he draws out the implication for the kind of life we should live, since we have such a rock-solid spectacular hope: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Abounding in the work of the Lord means: Do lots and lots of work for the Lord. That is what Romans 12:11 means: “Do not be slothful in zeal.” So when you put the first two parts of verse 11 together they say something like: Do lot’s of work for Christ passionately. Work for Christ with feeling. Feel lots in doing. Be as pragmatic as a businessman. And be as passionate as a poet—or a lover. Don’t say: I’m practical, not passionate. Aim to be more passionate. Don’t say: I’m passionate, not practical. Aim to be more practical.

When Jonathan Edwards was still a young man he wrote seventy resolutions. I think the sixth resolution captures the meaning of Paul’s words, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit.” Edwards wrote: “Resolved: To live with all my might while I live.”