Let worldly minds the world pursue,
It has not charms for me;
Once I admired its trifles too,
But grace has set me free.

Its pleasures now no longer please,
No more content afford;
Far from my heart be joys like these,
Now I have seen the Lord.

As by the light of opening day
The stars are all concealed;
So earthly treasures fade away,
When Jesus is revealed.

Creatures no more divide my choice;
I bid them all depart;
His name, and love, and gracious voice,
Have fixed my roving heart.

Now, Lord, I would be thine alone,
And wholly live to thee;
But may I hope that thou wilt own,
A worthless worm like me!

Yes; though of sinners I’m the worst,
I cannot doubt thy will;
For if thou hadst not loved me first,
I thee had hated still.

– John Newton

In his book Christ Formed in You, Brian Hedges writes, “God’s ultimate goal is to glorify himself through transformed human beings” (193). Hedges zeroes in on a vastly important part of the ultimate program and purpose of God. God means to have a holy people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:14), and in church saints particularly He means to get a bride for His Son and a queen for the kingdom of God. Because humans are sinners, they must be radically transformed for this purpose to be realized. One of the ways this transformation happens is through the discipline of God. Broader and more all-encompassing than mere correction after sinful conduct, this discipline shapes the believer, trains him or her in comprehensive righteousness, and gives them all that is necessary to live life as God designed it. This week’s message explored the discipline of God and its relationship to our endurance in the race of faith. Read more →