1. John 16:32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

2. Matthew 26:30-35 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

3. John 2:23-25 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Peter swore he would not deny Jesus even if it came to death, he did so three times, just as Jesus said he would. Jesus knew Peter would deny him, yet he loved Peter still. He knew all his disciples would run and leave him alone, but he showed them no bitterness, knowing God would never leave him alone.

Men don’t always keep their promises, cursed are we indeed when we rely on men. Cast your eyes on God who alone is able to save you, and don’t hate a friend when they bail out on you. They have just done what you likely would have done had you also been in their position. Let’s learn from our Saviour, and entrust ourselves to no man.

If you trust God too little, you will trust men too much, and you will end up bitter on their account. When we trust God as we ought, it will be a little thing to us when men let us down.

Some of you might have noticed that the sower in Mark 4:3-8 sowed his seed indiscriminately. He wasn’t especially keen to make sure that they all fell on good soil, which expectedly, would have yielded him a great crop. It might have been prudent not to waste so many good seed, yet: behold a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed some seed fell along the path, other seed fell on rocky ground, other seed fell among thorns, and other seeds fell into good soil. The sower sows the word, everyone hears, but we know the word will not bear fruit in them all.

Like me, you probably have been too careful with the master’s seeds. Often, I have hoarded my kindness, keen to give it only when I am sure it will be received gladly. Insisting that I won’t lay precious pearls before swine, I have mostly kept the good news to myself, fearing my words would be unwelcomed or deprecated. I hate being insulted, I also dislike feeling as though I have been insulted, so I have stayed mute. At other times, I wasn’t just being fastidious, I also was ashamed of the Gospel, and now the word of God condemns me.

Two lessons:

1. As men we do not have the capacity to convict men of their sin. It is wholly the work of the Holy Spirit.
2. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. ( Ecclesiastes 11:5–6 ESV)

Tell of Jesus if you have opportunity, and then pray that the Holy Spirit does his work. Do not be too careful with the good news. The roadside, the rocky-ground, the thistle-ground too deserve the seed. Only God knows from whence the yield will be abundant; that knowledge is not allowed us.

Jesus is walking with his disciples, they come to a town, and then suddenly he turns to ask them who people say he is. “Some say you are John the Baptist. Some say you are Elijah. Still, others say you are Jeremiah.” The way I see it? Very exceptional titles indeed.

He’s not done: “but who do you say I am?” Very impressed by Peter’s answer, Jesus in fact confirms it to be a revelation God has himself given Peter. “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.” Jesus was obviously interested to hear what men thought of him, but he seemed keener to know what his disciples thought. Is it that he was even okay with the speculations, because he charges them to tell no one of his being Christ? Interestingly, about to be crucified, Jesus still answers Pilate evasively, and in a manner that feels a little too impertinent for his own good.

Pilate: Are you king of the Jews? Jesus: You say that I am.

It’s mostly a pleasure to be well thought of by outsiders; to be honoured, respected, and celebrated. Jesus was, in his own right. But just like Jesus did, would we not also rather ask those closest to us: “who do you say I am?” Our neighbors and friends might think us angels, but our siblings and roommates know we are devils. What do those closest to you say about you? It might be the most fair and accurate assessment of your character. Why fret so much about lighting up a whole city when you are unable to light the room you reside in.

So, who do you say I am? You see, if you haven’t yet shared a life with me, I don’t care so much for your answer, or at least I want to not care so much for it. Some of you judge me too harshly; still, some of you praise me too profusely, I fear that the latter are likely more wrong about me.

Dear Sam,

For some time, I have noticed how you particularly seem dazed about the idea of having a girlfriend. You seem so much taken in with the thought of being in love; most of the things you say or write, implicitly or explicitly make mention of love. I know you are single, at least formally, but I am very afraid that your heart isn’t. I am at a loss of words to explain why it is singleness in heart that really counts as singleness. That means most single people, especially in medical school christian union, live as though they were married already, as though they already are in a relationship. Will you believe me when I say it is such a miserable state to be in?

Do you want the truth? There isn’t much to exult about being in a relationship. You have read what Paul has to say on the matter? I’m sure you have. The only reason to marry is a lack of self control: his urge being that if you can control your passions, stay single (It is way better to stay single, but if you marry you have done nothing wrong).

You are in an environment that pressures you, mostly tacitly, to have a girlfriend. I join Paul in his saying: it is better if you stayed single. There’s so much of life to focus on, and sexual love stands in the way of it. Don’t get married unless it’s absolutely necessary. No, stop looking for a girlfriend.

Jacob Allee:

It is our actions that define us and it is what we do today that matters more than what we did yesterday. Who will we be this day? Today is all that is really ours to command.

To know less than nothing about something… Jacob’s First Law

Skip the syndication, Alan Jacobs

The Pleasure of Reading, Alan Jacobs

Men value relationships more and suffer more from breakups than women.

Too much self-centeredness has made me to post this one.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, an enemy of the people. It stands in the way of the shitty first draft. It lies to you that if you run carefully enough, just hitting every step-stone right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway, and people not looking at their feet while jumping will do a whole better job than you, and have way more fun while at it.

Alan Jacobs: We all must know our place

It had never occured to me that Garcia’s short story, The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World, might have been about a Suicide.

I have written something about it on my blog.

Rereading stuff helps us more than we know. By cultivating a habit of going back to things you enjoyed, you make the experience more fun and enriching.

Go back, have fun again. Watch that movie again. See that series one more time. Listen to that song again. Repeat. Reread. Rewatch.

Read this article again.😅

John Owen:

Satan tends to attack us according to our particular personalities, moving against a confident person much differently than an anxious one, but tempting both nonetheless. Thus, we must learn our dispositions, for in so doing we are more prepared to avoid the stealthy arrows directed at us.

Finished reading: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett 📚 A few thoughts will follow here. I am not sure if it will be what you expect.

The most loving of his people cannot enter into his peculiar thoughts, cares, and temptations. In the ranks, men walk shoulder to shoulder, with many comrades, but as the officer rises in rank, men of his standing are fewer in number. There are many soldiers, few captains, fewer colonels, but only one commander-in-chief. So, in our churches, the man whom the Lord raises as a leader becomes, in the same degree in which he is a superior man, a solitary man. The mountain-tops stand solemnly apart, and talk only with God as he visits their terrible solitudes.

Charles Spurgeon, Lecture to my Students

Solitude is refreshing. It strengthens memory, sharpens awareness, and spurs creativity. It makes us calmer, more attentive, clearer headed. Most important of all, it relieves the pressure of conformity. It gives us the space we need to discover the deepest sources of passion, enjoyment, and fulfillment in our lives. Being alone frees us to be ourselves—and that makes us better company when we rejoin the crowd.

Nicholas Carr, foreword for Solitude by Michael Harris