Well, I haven't written about what I'm up to in the last little while, so might as well.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have continued my journey through the book of Romans, as well as Phillipians. Romans is a massive, massive book to study, I'm discovering… there is just so much in nearly every sentence that one can think and pray upon, and the arguments that Paul proposes are a hard medicine to swallow as far as our flesh… our old self… is concerned. On the other hand… I find his assertions quite freeing… as small parts of it are revealed to me, the overall picture becomes much clearer; that clarity, in turn, reveals much more the Glory of God, and is my honor and joy to recognise that glory and ascribe it to Him.
As for Phillipians… I haven't dug into it too deeply, yet, but I have marked most of it out, and am beginning to examine it more closely. I'll probably write more as I get into it, but my initial impressions might be interesting. I can't help but notice Paul's repeated mention of suffering throughout the book, and always in the context of the gospel. He demonstrates and exhorts that we should be joyful servants even in the midst of our suffering, humbling ourselves before men, even as Jesus did. Also, while he exhorts us to love those around us, his passion for the gospel comes through very clearly, as the reason that he and others are undergoing suffering. It's interesting, thinking about that today in today's Western cultures… people will smile and congratulate you if you mention that you fight some injustice, say human trafficking… but black sarcasm or outright bitterness is not so uncommon if you tell them you are a Christian, that you are a minister of the gospel (obviously not in that term). Yes, times have changed, but I suspect that times are not that different, in some ways. In the days to come, preaching the gospel will become a dangerous thing, indeed.
I've also been looking into the last little bit of Matthew, as many of you probably noticed by my last couple of articles.
So, yeah, things are going pretty good, I guess. I'm hoping to come home to Canada in mid-February to mid-March, that would be wonderful! It will have been over 25 months since I was last at home!
Until next time…
