Inspiration & Influence: Reminders

Today started out as a Murmuring Monday.

The type of Monday where I wake up groaning because the bad dream was true — the weekend is over. The type of Monday where I sin all the way to work, worrying about all the things to do this week.

I tried to write a blog post during my lunch break. Actually, I tried several times, but deleted them all. Turns out complaining and self-pity make writing about gratitude and inspiration pretty difficult, not to mention hypocritical.

I needed a good dose of the Gospel. God gave me two.

First, Romans 1 was my reading for today. Verse 15-16 jumped out at me:

So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

It’s clear from the opening verses of the chapter that the recipients of the letter were already believers. Yet they still needed the gospel preached to them. I am no different.

John Piper writes:

Notice that verse 16 does not say, “The gospel . . . is the power of God to bring about faith and salvation.” It says, “The gospel is the power of God for [unto] salvation to everyone who is believing [present tense in Greek, signifying continuous action].” In other words, Paul’s point here is not that the power of the gospel creates faith, but that, for those who have faith, the gospel brings about salvation. So the point is not that the gospel is the power for conversion to faith; the point is that the gospel is the power to bring about future salvation through a life of faith.

The tense of the verb “believe” here is crucial. It signifies ongoing action, not just the first act of faith when you were converted . . .

So the point of Romans 1:16 is that you don’t have to be ashamed of the gospel, because it is the only truth in the world which, if you go on banking on it day after day, will triumph over every obstacle and bring you to eternal safety and joy in the presence of a holy and glorious God.

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Second, this Sandra McCracken song surfaced on my playlist — a fitting prayer with the above verses fresh in my mind:

Petition

Father whate’er of earthly bliss
Thy sovereign will denies
Accepted at Thy throne of grace
Let this petition rise

Let the sweet hope that thou art mine
My life and death attend
Thy presence through my journey shine
And crown my journey’s end

Give me a calm, a thankful heart
From every murmur free
The blessings of Thy grace impart
And make me live to Thee

You raise your hand to still the storms
That rage inside my head
Revive my heart with gratitude
Love quell my doubt and dread

Give me a sure and rested soul
From every fear relief
The spirit’s power and presence mine
To ever comfort me

Give me a sure, a restful heart
From every fear relief
Thy spirit’s power and presence mine
To ever comfort me.

Give me a calm, a thankful heart
From every murmur free
The blessings of thy grace impart
And make me live to thee.

(You can hear the song here.)

Amen. Only hoping in the gracious God of the gospel can truly transform Murmuring Mondays into Thankful Tuesdays.

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