What's in a Name?

Ecstasy (n)- 2. Excessive joy; rapture; a degree of delight that arrests the whole mind; joy may rise to ecstasy. (Websters 1828 Dictionary)
Doldrums (n)- A sate of inactivity or stagnation.(Dictionary.com)

Saturday, October 8, 2011

The Sovereignty of God

I recently finished reading A.W. Pink's The Sovereignty of God. It is such an important book for us to read as believers, because it magnifies the character of God and reminds us of how small we are! There is a song by Francesca Battistelli that correlates well with this book. The chorus goes like this:

When I know that I know what You have down the road,
When I'm sure that I've figured You out,
Help me see that I'm small, that I can't know it all
Cause You're so unpredictable.
(From the song Unpredictable)

As John Piper points out, the happiness of the believer should be rooted in the fact that God is Sovereign. It brings such comfort and peace in times of trials. So, on that note, I thought I'd share a few quotes from this book (which you should all read!!).

"The redemption of man is not an afterthought of God, but was fore-ordained before creation." (Ephesians 3:11)

"The natural man has no desire for holiness on his own. If the Spirit does not plant His holy seed in our heart, we cannot come to God."

"The new birth is no mere turning over a new leaf, but is the inception and reception of a new life! It is radical, revolutionary and lasting!"

"In God's sovereignty, all ground for human boasting is removed!"

"God the Father purposed our salvation; God the Son had to purchase it and God the Spirit has to apply it."
"Prayer is communion with God, therefore a prayer-less life is one without communion with God."

"There could be little to no comfort in praying to a God who is like a chameleon- God's unchangeableness is what encourages us to pray."

"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness."

“Prayer is coming to God, telling Him our need (or the needs of others), committing our way unto the Lord, and then leaving Him to deal with the case as seems best to Him.”

"Happy is the soul that has been awed by a view of God's majesty, His awful greatness, His ineffible holiness, His perfect righteousness, His irresistible power and His sovereign grace."

"There is no rest for your poor heart until you learn to see the hand of God in everything."

"It is ignorance of doctrine which has rendered the professing church helpless to cope with the rising tide of infidelity."

The LORD reigns,
Let the peoples tremble!
He dwells between the cherubim,
Let the earth be moved!
Psalm 99:1


3 comments:

Jenna said...

This is excellent!!! Thanks for the reminders!

Of A Knight And Fair Maidens 3 said...

I agree with you, every child of God needs to read this book! I haven't finished yet. We did a 20-something part DVD study a few months ago on the sovereignty of God and I would have to say it is one of the most important studies we have done, not that we will ever fully understand it. As A.W. Pink stated, "It is a truth that brings comfort to many hearts and gives strength and stability to Christian character". What comfort to know that our God is "THE SOVEREIGN", in full control of all things at all times!Knowing that all that happens to me and my family is not out of His sovereignty "brings stability" and comfort to me!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it and are encouraging others to read it!:)!

~Connie Mello

Amanda said...

You're welcome, Jenna!
It is a comfort, Connie! I have to remind myself at times when I am lacking trust in the Lord! Thanks for sharing that quote!