Easy and affordable organization for little items

A post at another blog reminded me of a tip I planned to write here.

Namely, my roommate and I my freshman year of college hung shoe organizers similar to the one pictured on the left in our closests. The main (and important!) difference between ours and the one displayed here is that ours had clear pockets, which meant we could easily see what was in them. They were a great help for two reasons: (1) there wasn't much storage space provided in the dorm room, and (2) the high numbers of pockets allowed us to separate items into numerous groupings, rather than trying to keep them neatly grouped in a drawer. I kept my toothbrush and toothpaste in one, my hair twisties and barrettes in another, brushes in another, hose in its own pocket, Efferdent (for a mouthguard) in another, batteries in a bottom one.... My roommate's idea worked out fabulously!

On Meditation

Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God Himself the better. Our concern must be to enlarge our acquaintance, not simply with the doctrine of God's attributes, but with the living God whose attributes they are. As He is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so He must Himself be the end of it. We must seek, in studying God, to be led to God. It was for this purpose that revelation was given, and it is to this use that we must put it

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How are we to do this? How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this id demanding, but simple. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.

We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask; for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grieviously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presenced of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its purpose is to clear one's mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let His truth makes its full and proper impact on one's mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace. Its effect is ever to humble us, as we contemplate God's greatness and glory, and our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us--"comfort" us, in the old, strong, Bible sense of the word--as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ. These were the points stressed by Spurgeon in the passage which we quoted at the beginning, and they are true. And it is as we enter more and more deeply into this experience of being humbled and exalted that our knowledge of God increases, and with it our peace, our strength, and our joy. God help us, then, to put our knowledge about God to this use, that we all may in truth "know the Lord."

--J.I. Packer, Knowing God

Plucking Out the Right Eye: Part Three

I close at least for now with this meditation that highlights that Christ is so much more glorious and satisfying than any idol:

We, in our fallen state, are most necessitous creatures, full of wants: but they are here all answered. Every sort of good is here [in salvation] procured; whatever would really contribute to our happiness, and even many things we could not have thought of, had not Christ purchased them for us, and revealed them to us. Every demand of our circumstances, and craving of our natures, is here exactly answered.—For instance,

1. We stand in need of peace with God. We had provoked God to anger, his wrath abode upon us, and we needed to have it appeased. This is done for us in this way of salvation; for Christ, by shedding his blood, has fully satisfied justice, and appeased God’s wrath, for all that shall believe in him. By the sentence of the law we were condemned to hell; and we needed to have our sins pardoned that we might be delivered from hell. But in this work, pardon of sin and deliverance from hell, is fully purchased for us.

2. We needed not only to have God’s wrath appeased, and our sins pardoned; but we needed to have the favour of God. To have God, not only not our enemy, but our friend. Now God’s favour is purchased for us by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

3. We needed not only to be delivered from hell, but to have some satisfying happiness bestowed. Man has a natural craving and thirst after happiness; and will thirst and crave, till his capacity is filled. And his capacity is of vast extent; and nothing but an infinite good can fill and satisfy his desires. But, notwithstanding, provision is made in this way of salvation to answer those needs, there is a satisfying happiness purchased for us; that which is fully answerable to the capacity and cravings of our souls.

Here is food procured to answer all the appetites and faculties of our souls. God has made the soul of man of a spiritual nature; and therefore he needs a corresponding happiness; some spiritual object, in the enjoyment of which he may be happy. Christ has purchased the enjoyment of God, who is the great and original Spirit, as the portion of our souls. And he hath purchased the Spirit of God to come and dwell in us as an eternal principle of happiness.

God hath made man a rational, intelligent creature; and man needs some good that shall be a suitable object of his understanding, for him to contemplate; wherein he may have full and sufficient exercise for his capacious faculties, in their utmost extent. Here is an object that is great and noble, and worthy of the exercise of the noblest faculties of the rational soul.—God himself should be theirs, for them for ever to behold and contemplate; his glorious perfections and works are most worthy objects; and there is room enough for improving them, and still to exercise their faculties to all eternity.—What object can be more worthy to exercise the understanding of a rational soul, than the glories of the Divine Being, with which the heavenly intelligences, and even the infinite understanding of God himself is entertained?

Our souls need some good that shall be a suitable object of the will and affections; a suitable object for the choice, the acquiescence, the love, and the joy of the rational soul. Provision is made for this also in this way of salvation. There is an infinitely excellent Being offered to be chosen, to be rested in, to be loved, to be rejoiced in, by us: even God himself, who is infinitely lovely, the fountain of all good; a fountain that can never be exhausted, where we can be in no danger of going to excess in our love and joy: and here we may be assured ever to find our joy and delight in enjoyments answerable to our love and desires.

1464. There is all possible enjoyment of this object, procured in this way of salvation. When persons entirely set their love upon another, they naturally desire to see that person: merely to hear of the person, does not satisfy love. So here is provision made that we should see God, the object of our supreme love. Not only that we should hear and read of him in his word, but that we should see him with a spiritual eye here: and not only so, but that we should have the satisfaction of seeing God face to face hereafter. This is promised, (Matt. v. 8.) “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” It is promised, that we shall not see God, as through a glass darkly, as we do now, but face to face. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. That we shall see Christ as he is. 1 John iii. 2.

We naturally desire not only to see those whom we love, but to converse with them. Provision is made for this also, that we should have spiritual conversation with God while in this world; and that we should be hereafter admitted to converse with Christ in the most intimate manner possible. Provision is made in this way of salvation, that we should converse with God much more intimately, than otherwise it would have been possible for us; for now Christ is incarnate, is in our nature: he is become one of us, whereby we are under advantages for an immensely more free and intimate converse with him, than could have been, if he had remained only in the divine nature; and so in a nature infinitely distant from us.—We naturally desire not only to converse with those whom we greatly love, but to dwell with them. Provision, through Christ, is made for this. It is purchased and provided that we should dwell with God in his own house in heaven, which is called our Father’s house.—To dwell for ever in God’s presence, and at his right hand.

We naturally desire to have a right in that person whom we greatly love. Provision is made, in this way of salvation, that we should have a right in God; a right to him. This is the promise of the covenant of grace, “That he will be our God.” God, with all his glorious perfections and attributes, with all his power and wisdom, and with all his majesty and glory, will be ours; so that we may call him our inheritance, and the portion of our souls: what we can humbly claim by faith, having this portion made over to us by a firm instrument; by a covenant ordered in all things and sure.—And we may also hereby claim a right to Jesus Christ. Love desires that the right should be mutual. The lover desires, not only to have a right to the beloved, but that the beloved should also have a right to him: he desires to be his beloved’s, as well as his beloved should be his. Provision is also made for this, in this wise method of salvation, that God should have a special propriety in the redeemed, that they should be in a distinguishing manner his, that they should be his peculiar people. We are told that God sets apart the godly for himself, Psal. iv. 3. They are called God’s jewels. The spouse speaks it with great satisfaction and rejoicing, Cant. ii. 16. “My beloved is mine, and I am his.”

Love desires to stand in some near relation to the beloved. Provision is made by Christ, that we should stand in the nearest possible relation to God; that he should be our Father, and we should be his children. We are often instructed in the Holy Scriptures, that God is the Father of believers, and that they are his family.—And not only so, but they stand in the nearest relation to Christ Jesus. There is the closest union possible. The souls of believers are married to Christ. The church is the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Yea, there is yet a nearer relation than can be represented by such a similitude. Believers are as the very members of Christ, and of his flesh and of his bones, Eph. v. 30. Yea, this is not near enough yet, but they are one spirit, 1 Cor. vi. 17.

--Jonathan Edwards, "The Wisdom of God Displayed in the Way of Salvation"

(I intend to get rid of these highlighted words and give these posts a little more fitting title soon....)

Plucking Out the Right Eye: Part Two

(These are somewhat unfocused and redundant, but they will do well enough for now as they are.)

1) my focus needs to be on God, not a guy. In the Bible one only sees deep and abiding joy in following God’s precepts. Outside of this is utter evil, fleeting and shallow happiness, and ultimately despair.

2) I could do much damage to both he and I if I talked to him, me focusing on making him and us into my dreams of us, rather than focusing on us glorifying Christ by conforming more to His image. I see some what kind of wife, woman, person, evil greed amounts to and by God's grace am brought to see my need to repent and ask God to change me, grow my love for Him and others, make me a loving wife if I am to be one for anybody.... Real love isn't about trying to squeeze him to fit my limited, often warped notions.

Make him so mine he’s no longer his? (A C. S. Lewis character)

3) I see some how hideously wicked it is for me to even want at times to push what I sometimes think I want, rather than simply "resigning" myself to what I should be doing and thinking about.

4) keeping in mind that God is sovereign and that

5) He knew what He was doing in bringing this guy into my life

6) God works everything for good for those who love Him

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

7) God is more than able to bring him back in the case that this guy and I would be great for the kingdom together

8) God's purposes and the interpretations I sometimes give them in my favor may be WAY different

9) when I just want to whine "but why did I have to meet a guy I had so much in common with, the obscure become wonderfully common ground, if this would happen. . ..?" I am just focusing on me (e.g., who knows how this may have helped him; and what about the fact that reality's ultimate purposes is to display God's glory?!).

10) it's having benefits like helping me learn what it means to follow God and learn endurance (Romans 5) and resignation to His will

11) in trying to fight sins I am coming to a deeper recognition of sins I need to work on now, that will deeply influence my life inside marriage or even if I don't marry, and consequently coming to realize a deeper dependency on Christ which causes me to go more to the Source of righteousness

12) I am better able to help others, ministering to those in pain

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13) it gives me another way to help others. Recently I found myself using my past with this guy to help a friend in an essentially similar situation without preaching to her, and illustrating some the depth of significance of things I talked of in one’s life, hopefully prompting her to be on guard of her own heart and letting her know I understood in a deep (though imperfect) way what it was like to live her struggles rather than just have some vague textbook concept of them

14) my understandings of God’s purposes, human needs, the means most efficient to God’s great purposes for Christian, is a hugely deficient understanding. If God had made this world and my life work according to the plans and ideas I’ve thought best, what an utterly despicable (self-centered, futile, etc.!!) disaster would result! God is the only inherent good, the only all-knowing being, the only all-wise. He is more than capable, and the only one capable, of bringing me to the joy in Him if He so wills. And for Christians, God so wills.

15) and as my friend I sent my list to pointed out, whoever has God planned for me (if anyone) is or could be better than my imaginings (though I know there will certainly be more faults found in a guy and myself than appear in my daydreams)

16) And this joy I do not need to worry about following, drinking in nonstop, or ever running out of.

Our souls need some good that shall be a suitable object of the will and affections; a suitable object for the choice, the acquiescence, the love, and the joy of the rational soul. Provision is made for this also in this way of salvation. There is an infinitely excellent Being offered to be chosen, to be rested in, to be loved, to be rejoiced in, by us: even God himself, who is infinitely lovely, the fountain of all good; a fountain that can never be exhausted, where we can be in no danger of going to excess in our love and joy: and here we may be assured ever to find our joy and delight in enjoyments answerable to our love and desires. (Jonathan Edwards)

So when the devil arrives in wayward thoughts, tempting me to sin and futility, along with praying I meditate on Biblically revealed truths to help focus my thoughts, my heart, back on God Himself. As my friend pointed out to me in close to these words, it's not even my right to think about the might-have-beens when not doing so for the sake of God's glory.

Plucking Out the Right Eye: Part One

Plucking Out the Right Eye

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. (Matthew 5:29)

The other day I wrote to a friend who knew of past struggles I had with a guy. Originally I had turned to him because I didn’t have a female friend to turn to with his depth of wisdom, nor was I established in a church home. He gave me wise advice and support (though in the future I shall turn to women, which is much more of a wise choice unless one has a husband). So then when the struggle came back strongly this year I once again turned to him for advice. Then recently I wrote to inform him that I was following his advice and to thank him (again?). His response to what I told him led me to think the last letter to him might be worth sharing. To do that, I must tell you some of my story.

It’s a story that used to love to ring down the halls of my memory, that I once would have eagerly related in mind and in words. I would have delighted in all the surprising turns of events all over again, rejoicing at how the obscure transformed into common ground for two people. Now, though, I must be careful. I know my heart better. I know I can’t let myself loose in the fields of memory and expect not to come back crying for the holes I fall into, the walls of reality I waltz square into. Much worse, I know that for me a daydreaming mind tends to be an idol factory, focusing my heart on men above the Lord God.

[Cut this part for now--going to rewrite in less detail and put back]

It’s been many months now and I’m still holding out. Most of the time I am not troubled when I think of him, especially not to the old degrees, though occasionally it seems just as bad. How do you defeat a fantasy? How do you tear it apart, when you don’t even know the bad about somebody that many would try to focus on (should I even want to use that method--that could be another post in itself) to try and stop a fixation? Included in the following post are some of the thoughts shared with my friend which point me away from idols and back to God.